Harvest High!
by Kuneko
Summary: Join the MM and FoMT characters in High School! With a Waffle obsessed principal, crazy friends, and totally ninja style fun, it'll be hard to keep away from Flowerbud High. Chapter 56 is up! Part 3 of 3 – Season 2's Absolute Finale. Emotions are running high. No one's coming out of this night unscathed.
1. First Day Back

**Please Read Before starting this chapter!**

**// Author's Note: **Hey everyone! I've started a new fanfiction... this one will be multiple-chapter, though the chapters will (obviously) be shorter than my one-shots. So Don't expect super-long chapters, but this will be quite a long story so I hope you'll enjoy! .

It's different from my usual romance-style of writing, as it is more fun, light-hearted, and humorous. I think you'll all like it. I will start each chapter with an Author's Note, cause there will be quite a few notes to make about this story.

First of all, this is a story about the Harvest Moon Magical Melody, and Harvest Moon Back To Nature/Friends of Mineral Town characters in High school. That means, the Mineral Town villagers and the Flowerbud Village villagers all in a modern-day high school, (which is not named Harvest High, btw! XD). So one thing I'd like you to keep in mind is that this is High School. All the characters are in the 16-18 age range, meaning any relationships that occur in the story are... well, not official. That means that if I decide to pair up Eve with Cliff or something, don't take it seriously and flame me to death XD. It's all high school, they're still young and It's fairly common for people who date in high school to not end up together 'for good'. So please, if you don't like the couple, just try and deal with it and enjoy the fic.

This is, as I said, a High School fic. While it'll be really fun and light and stuff, it will also contain some other aspects of High School that I think should be added in. There won't be too many sexual references, though some to alcohol, smoking, and other aspects. Though I probably won't have much about drugs and sex, there will be some not-so fun stuff that is still a part of High school.

Another thing - this fanfic is using MM and FoMT characters (and some AWL too), and some have very similar names. Which is why some characters will have different names. (For example, Maria from MM will be 'Mia', so she isn't confused with Mary from FoMT). So yeah, I'll always post a 'new names' list at the beginning of a chapter that involves new names.

Other than that, enjoy! Don't forget to read the Author's Notes for each chapter so that you don't end up horridly confused or something like that. As long as you can follow, I'm sure you'll enjoy it! **End Author's Note //**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harvest Moon, its characters, etc. They all belong to the wonderful folks at Natsume and Marvelous Interactive, so thank them! This is, after all, _fan_fiction, and not really affiliated with them in any way. Enjoy!

**Characters Notes:**

Lloyd Croswell Jack from MM

Meghan Winslow Jill from MFoMT

Sasha Yachiko (Sacchun) Jill from MM

Chapter 1 - First Day Back

It was early in the morning. Too early, anyway. An usual time for anyone to be awake. The sun glared against his eyes. _How could the sun be up this early...?_ he thought to himself, continuing to walk. He walked, and walked, and walked. His eyes barely even open, he continued to walk. He walked until he could see it - his destination was in sight now. Quickening his pace, he continued to walk, feeling a twinge of excitement, though mostly feeling anxious. He was almost there, and --

_CRASH. - _A girl with dark brown hair, tied in two cute pigtails bumped into him.

"Owww_wwww... _Why did you have to do that, Sacchun?!" Lloyd cried.

"Hehe! Look alive, Lloyd! It's the first day of school! Time to get our schedules, meet our new teachers, find a new spot to eat for lunch It's all so much fun!" she replied perkily.

"How can you be this excited for _school? _Don't forget the homework, the projects, the wasted energy, the boring classes. Emphasis on 'boring'." Lloyd complained to her.

"Stop being such a pessemist. You're just actin' all grumpy 'cause youre tired. Your eyes are all bloodshot and... tired. What were you _doing _last night?"

"Joe and I... stayed up late... playing video games." he said groggily. He continued to walk to school, the sun still glaring uncomfourtably and now shouldering regrets of staying up last night playing a hardcore _Super Smash Bros. Melee _marathon with his best friend, Joe.

Him and Joe lived at the student houses, small apartments for two that were rented out to high school students who wanted to live independently from their parents. Though the student houses were still within the school's area, even though they were seperate from the main building. While this of course meant more responsability and maturity, but also meant... less discipline and nagging parents. Which was exactly what Lloyd and Joe had wanted in the first place.

"I see." Sasha Yachiko said - most of her close friends just called her Sacchun. "Lemme guess. Joe totally kicked your ass with Link again!" she laughed.

"No way! Zelda totally killed Link! ... I think. I can't really remember."

"I think Kirby kicks all kinds of ass."

"...Kirby's too cheap and pink and puffy. No super melee fighter can be pink and puffy."

"You just suck at using Kirby."

"Do not!"

"My, what a stimulating conversation." interruptted another girl, walking between Lloyd and Sacchun.

"MEEGGG!" Sacchun squealed and nearly jumped on her. She was really hyper sometimes.

"Gaaah, Stop! I finally got my hair the way I wanted it, now get off me!" Meghan Winslow exclaimed. She was also living in student housing, her room mate being Sacchun.

"Jeez, Sorr-_rry..._" Sacchun said, rolling her eyes.

"Where's Joe anyway? Wasn't he walking with you guys?" Meg asked, looking around for Joe.

"Maybe he fell asleep and is curled up on the side walk a few blocks back or something?" Sacchun said, giggling.

"No, I think he kind of trailed off while we were passing Gwen and her clique of _popular _people." Lloyd said, still tired.

"So she's the most popular girl at school again?" Sacchun asked.

"Looks like it. Oh! But Karen's really popular too." Meg added.

"Looks like it'll be battle of the posse's again this year." Lloyd yawned.

"It's gonna be a fun year!" Sacchun said happily, slapping Lloyd on the back.

"OW!! How do you have so much energy in the morning?" he said, rubbing his back.

"It's called not-staying-up-all-night-playing-fighting-games." She teased.

"Hey! It's not my fault I couldn't get to sleep. My sleeping pattern got butchered over the summer." Lloyd said, rubbing his eyes. It was true, almost every summer night he and Joe were up well past midnight.

"Well, better get back into school mode." Meg said, walking ahead of them.

The three of them finally arrived at Flowerbud High School, which they attended. Sacchun had gone off to glomp more people she hadn't seen over the summer, so Meg and Lloyd had continued on inside to get their schedules and find Joe.

"Ah, the old smell of the school corridors. Haven't you missed it?" Meg said, breathing deeply.

"...No." said Lloyd honestly.

"Well, I did! The whole ... school atmosphere is exciting!" she said.

"...No, you're just weird."

"Oh come on! Lighten up, it's the first day! Who knows what exciting things might happen this year." she said, her eyes practically twinkling.

"You're starting to sound like Sacchun!" Lloyd laughed, poking her in the cheek.

"Oh hush. She starts to rub off on you after rooming with her for like a whole year." Meg reasoned.

The two of them walked into the entrance hall, where different desks were set up with teachers handing out schedules.

"Huh... I'm 'Winslow', so I'm in _that _line." she said, pointing to the last line. "Come see me after you get your schedule and we'll see what classes we have together!" Meg said cheerily and ran off. Lloyd, still feeling half-asleep, walked into the _A-F _line. He saw Ann, a red-haired girl who had been in his class last year. She was great at math and wanted to be an inventor.

"Hey Lloyd! How was your summer?" she said, noticing he was standing right behind her.

"Not bad, Ann. Camping, vacationing, playing videogames with Joe... Hey, speaking of which, shouldn't Joe be in this line?" Lloyd said suddenly, looking around. Joe _still _hadn't showed up. He had left the building with Lloyd, and they were both half-asleep, and Lloyd must have been too sleepy to realise whatever had happened to Joe.

_Well, if it was anything serious, I think I would've noticed. _Lloyd reasoned. He grabbed his schedule, since he was next in line. Walking out of the line with Ann, Lloyd said,

"Jeez, if I have math as homeroom, I'll kill myself...", before pulling out his schedule and scanning it for his homeroom class. "...Ann, can I borrow your gun? I need to shoot myself now." he said, annoyed. Math was his homeroom!

"Math isn't _that _bad, Lloyd."

"Yeah, says you."

"It's your attitude about the whole thing! Just... go in there and give it your best!" She said happily, before running off to join her own friends.

"Yeah. Whoohoo." Lloyd said sarcastically.


	2. How to get in and out of an assembly

**/ Author's Note: **Yay, time for chapter 2! Not many different notes, just a reminder that if you haven't read the Author's note of Chapter 1, _do so now, please! _So the principal is introduced, and he is obviously the mayor from Flowerbud! And yay for Manna, our first Mineral Town-ian. But the first of many. Hope you enjoy this ninja-style chapter! **End Author's Note /**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harvest Moon, its characters, etc. They all belong to the wonderful folks at Natsume and Marvelous Interactive, so thank them! This is, after all, _fan_fiction, and not really affiliated with them in any way. Enjoy!

Chapter 2 - How to get in and out of an assembly

"Ooooh," said Meg, examining Lloyd's time table. "Wow, your homeroom is math! Must suck for you!" she said, suppressing laughter.

"Well yeah. Obviously." Lloyd said.

"Aaah... Well... my homeroom is math also! Yay!" She said, excitedly comparing her timetable with his.

"Where's Joe? He's gonna be late for the first day!" Lloyd said, looking around once again for Joe. "It's almost expected, really." He sighed. Sacchun ran up to them, and they found out that she too had math as homeroom.

"Ooh fun!" she said, peering over their schedules.

"Well, at least it'll make math a bit more bearable." Lloyd said, smiling. "I wonder who our teacher will be."

"We better head to... Room 143. That's where our math is" Sacchun said.

"Aw, that's on the bottom floor. No fun." Meg whined.

"Let's go find out who our teacher is!" Lloyd said, taking the lead. They continued walking until they had reached the hallway with Room 143. Even though it wasn't a huge school, Flowerbud High was pretty big.

"Okay! Room 143." Meg stated as she reached for the door knob. She turned it once. It didn't open. Turning it again in the opposite direction, Meg tried to push the door open. It didn't work.

"The door's locked...?" Sacchun said inquisitively.

"Seems like it. Weird." Lloyd said. He peered through the window in the door, and was surprised to find the room deserted.

"Uh... Guys? The room is empty."

"Wrong room, maybe?"

"No, no. This is room 143." Meg said, examining classrooms 142 and 144.

"What the hell?" Sacchun said, confused. Suddenly, they heard the intercom go on above them and a voice began to speak through it.

_"The opening year assembly is now beginning, all students please take your seats at Auditorium 1A. " _There was a short crackle and then the intercom turned off. The trio stared at each other.

"CRAAAAAAAP!" they yelled in unison, dashing off for Auditorium 1A - the other auditorium, 1B, was used for concerts and school plays, as well as the annual talent show. They skidded to a halt as they approached the auditorium doors, and peered in through the cracks. Principal Theodore was already giving his speech, though they could barely hear it through the large wooden doors. Sacchun pushed one door slighly, and it creaked very loudly. They heard collected murmuring from the audience in there.

"_Crap, Crap!" _Sacchun whispered frantically, letting the door close again.

"Uh, isn't there another way in?" Meg asked.

"Not unless we go backstage. And that's probably not a good idea." Lloyd said.

"Oh! Oh! We could by the upper landing and jump down!" Sacchun said as if it was the best idea ever.

"...Yeah! Only... No." Meg said crossly. "Well we need to find some way to get in without disturbing them. We're already missing like half the assembly!" she said nervously.

"Yeah, Meg's right. Ah, screw it, I'm goin' in!" Sacchun exclaimed, pushing the doors open slowly.

_Crrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeak..._

It seemed that as the doors opened, more and more people turned to look at them. Theodore even stopped his speech to examine the newcomers. The teachers, sitting on the stage in chairs had their eyes fixed on Lloyd, Sacchun, and Meg. Lloyd and Meg stood there, staring out at everyone, while Sacchun softly whimpered 'Sorry', though it was clear that no one had heard her.

Pretending as if nothing had happened, Theodore continued his speech and instantly everyone's attention darted back to him.

"...And pancake breakfasts will now be replaced by waffle breakfasts..." he said, as if he was a casette who had simply been put on pause.

"_Lloyd!_" hissed a familiar voice. Kurt Dagett, Joe's brother was calling Lloyd's name and pointing to three free seats. Lloyd and the rest of them hurriedly rushed to them.

"Hey Kurt," Lloyd whispered. "Do you have any idea where Joe is? He was walking with us then kind of... dissappeared."

"Oh yeah, I saw him earlier, he was --" Kurt was cut off by a random teacher who had hissed "Shhh!" sharply at him. Theodore ploughed on with his speech as usual.

"...and of course, all sports should be balanced with a nice breakfast of waffles..."

"Man, is this all he talks about..?" they heard some of the new students mutter among themselves. Lloyd noticed an unfamiliar black-haired girl sitting a few seats down from them.

"Hey, Who's that?" he whispered to Sacchun. Sacchun was a social butterfly - she knew everyone who was anyone.

"...Oh, she's a new girl. Her name is Dia, I think. That's what I heard Mrs D'Amour calling her earlier." Sacchun whispered back. Meg yawned.

"This speech is both boring and repetetive." she said, leaning back in her seat.

"Also, I would like to speak about the tenth-graders and in-school jobs." Theodore said finally, speaking at least a bit more sense now.

"Wow, a sentence not about pancakes, I'm impressed." Meg said mockingly.

"Nono, Meg, he likes waffles, not pancakes!" Sacchun said, poking her arm.

"...You can't expect me to listen to this guy anyway!" Meg snickered.

"Shh, I wanna hear this, guys." Kurt said.

"My own daughter, Mia, is the new student librarian of the library, and that is just one of my now available positions. Nurse's assistant, Newsletter editor, etcetera. Please give those a good deal of thought, as it is required to complete at least one term of in-school jobs to complete your volunteering mark this year." he concluded, then went back to random drabble.

"Whee, how fun. More work!" Lloyd said, rolling his eyes.

"Ah well, it's part of the tenth-grade experience!" Sacchun said, constantly optimistic.

"...And now, a speech from our senior english coordinator and teacher, Mrs Manna D'Amour." Theodore said, moving aside to let Mrs D'Amour, or Manna as the students normally called her moved up. Several students who had been in her classes before looked around in horror. Everyone knew once she started, she _never _shut up. She was worse than Principal Theodore.

"Nooooooo!" Meg cried softly. "We'll never get out of this assembly!" Suddenly, the whole room resembled a large prison filled with lots of prisoners.

"Now, I'm sure you'll all be happy to know that I will be taking over as chief editor for the school newsletter this year, as well for the school year book near the end of the year!" She said happily.

"Oh dear harvest goddess, I can see it now!" whispered Lloyd in horror.

" 'Hey, guess what class, guess who's going out with who! Oh, and who was making out at the last school dance? Read all about it inside!' " he said, imitating Manna. Sacchun laughed loudly and put a hand over her mouth. Everyone turned to them. Manna cleared her throat, and they all (begrudgingly) went back to listening to her.

"We should escape." she said, after her laughing fit.

"But you were so keen to get in here in the first place, we can sit it out. It'll be like, ten, fifteen minutes tops." Lloyd reasoned.

"If we're lucky. We might not get out till lunch knowing miss gab-a-lot up there." Meg said, rolling her eyes.

"Wheeee yes yes! Let's escape! We can be totally ninja!" Sacchun said, excited at the thought of one of her ridiculous ideas again.

"...Totally Ninja, you say...? I am suddenly intrigued." Meg said, scratching her chin.

"Not you too! Let's just sit it out." Kurt said.

"...You boys are boring. C'mon Meg, let's go escape, ninja-style!" Sacchun said excitedly.

" 'Kay! But... how?" Meg asked. Sacchun dived to the floor and grabbed Meg down with her.

"We'll crawl underneath the seats to the exits on that end of the room!" she whispered to her ninja colleague.

"...That's just crazy enough to work." Meg said, and they set up.

"...They're gonna get caught for sure." Lloyd said to Kurt. Kurt nodded. They heard random mutters from people in front of them, most likely wondering what was crawling underneath their feet.

"Agh, Sacchun, slow down, I think my hair is stuck" Meg said, grabbing at her long blonde strands to free it from a chair.

"Quickly, quickly!" Sacchun grabbed Meg and pulled her.

_CRASH! _

Meg, the chair, the person sitting _on _the chair, and Sacchun all fell together in a big pile. Theodore suddenly became very alert, jumped from his seat, pushed Manna off the stage and started yelling about some pancake attack of some sort.

"WE MUST RETALIAAAAAATE!" he yelled, hitting a big red button that was attached to his podium for some reason. The sprinklers from the ceiling suddenly turned on and everyone yelled as water started pouring out of them.

Lloyd slapped his hand to his forehead. "...Wow, they are _totally _ninja."


	3. The New Girl

**// Author's Note: **Well, this chapter has a bit more about Dia in it (hence the title!). It's kind of short, but I didn't have much else to write about in this chapter. **End Author's Note //**

Updates

4/7/07 - Revised and edited some parts.

Character Notes

Mr. Barette : Terry. His last name is Barette.

Chapter 3: The New Girl

Finally the bell had rung, signaling the start of lunch. Lloyd walked from his last class before lunch, History. He felt like he needed some food to get some energy back into him, since History was pretty boring - even with Mr. Barette. He was a survivor from World War II, and though he was old, he could scare the hell out of any student. He had the reputation of being one of the strictest teachers known to Flowerbud High, and on top of that all, he always carried his rifle around with him, though there were no bullets in it. Most High schools obviously wouldn't allow this - but in a High school with a principal like Theodore... that's a different story. Besides being a war veteran, he apparently had a soft side when it came to animals, and was actually a big animal lover.

The cafeteria wasn't at all a regular cafeteria - it was a huge circular dome-like room. There were large windows all along the wall and ceiling, and a huge tree growing right in the middle of it. There were tables all around, and the cafeteria shops were lined against the room, and filled the 'Lunch Dome' as they called it, with tasty smells that could make anyone (who had just suffered a boring History lesson) hungry. Lloyd got in the line-up and got a tray to buy his food.

"Waffle surprise fer lunch!" called the lunch lady.

"...Waffle surprise...?" Lloyd muttered to himself, wondering what on earth a 'Waffle Surprise' was. Some students ahead were snickering at a poster that had been put up over the summer:

_"Pancakes may be eaten,_

_but Waffles never die!"_

Lloyd sighed. It was so typical of Theodore, he wasn't even surprised. He quickly got his lunch (A grilled chicken sub sandwich) and glanced around quickly for his friends. The first day was always tense, because people were competing for the best tables at the lunch dome, but Lloyd saw Meg, Kurt, and Sacchun all sitting at a nice table right underneath the big tree. Lloyd hurried over to sit with them.

"Hey Lloyd!" Meg called as he walked towards them.

"Lloyddeeee!" Sacchun said, turning her head around.

"Hey there!" Kurt greeted. Lloyd sat down.

"Hey guys. Oh, you got a good table this year... So what'd you just have?"

"History, with you." Kurt laughed.

"You're in my class?" Lloyd said. He hadn't even noticed him!

"Har har, very funny." he said, rolling his eyes.

"I just had Culinary classes! Gwen's uncle is the teacher!" Meg informed them.

"Well, he is one of the best chefs in the city." Kurt said, eating some pasta.

"Oooh, did you like, a'splode the kitchen like you did at home?" Sacchun giggled.

"HEY! It's not my fault that toaster got the better of me!" Meg protested.

Sacchun laughed. "Sure, sure, whatever you say Meg."

"_You _try making toast without causing a fire!"

Everyone stared at Meg.

She grumbled, "Well... _I _found it hard..."

They all burst into laughter.

"Oh, hey guys, it's that new girl." Kurt said, staring at her. She was sitting alone at a table a few tables away. With more lighting in the room than in the auditorium, Kurt got a better look at her. She seemed to be wearing mostly black and greys, and had a fiew piercings on her face - two on her eyebrow and one on her nose. She wore a short black skirt, with dark magenta lining and was eating a sandwich slowly, taking small bites at a time.

"Whoa, gothic much?" Meg cocked an eyebrow.

Sacchun, on the other hand, seemed interested. "Wow... I've never seen one up close!"

"A goth? I know, they're kind of rare in Flowerbud High." Meg nodded.

Kurt looked up at them. "You guys talk about goths like they're an entirely different species."

"Go invite her to eat with us." Lloyd said, nudging Kurt.

"Yeah, I think I will." he said, getting up. Meg seemed annoyed for some reason.

"Er, I'll come with you." Meg said. Sacchun got up also, still carrying an apple she was eating. Deciding to not be a loner, Lloyd followed. The party slowly walked towards the new girl.

"Uh, Hi! I'm Kurt." Kurt said. The girl did not turn around.

"Er... Hi!" Kurt said a little louder. "My name's _Kurt!"_

She put down her sandwich and sighed. "Yeah. That's great, really. But I don't remember asking you for your name." she said coldly, still not turning around.

The four of them looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Well, we were just wondering if you wanted to come eat with us, since it's your first day here and..." Kurt started.

"It'sh no fun t'eat all by yourshelf!" Sacchun said through a mouthful of apple.

"Well, I'm not in the mood for _fun._" she said in her same, cold tone.

"Well, could we at least know _your _name?" Lloyd asked.

"It's Dia." she said. "Are you done now?"

"We want to be your friends, Dia!" Kurt said, trying to be cheerful as if her cold responses were nothing.

"...So?" Dia said, turning around, staring at Kurt. Kurt blushed at finally being able to look at her face-to-face. She had beautiful dark green eyes that seemed to captivate Kurt, something which annoyed Meg quite a bit. She took a step forward.

"So? What do you _mean _'So?'! We were trying to be friendly!" Meg said, annoyed.

"Meg, it's okay --" Kurt tried to restrain Meg.

"Go run along with your little girlfriend." Dia said, glaring at Kurt. "You're not worth my time." Dia got up and purposely knocked the apple out of Sacchun's hand.

"Hey!! That wash my apple!" Sacchun exclaimed, watching it roll away sadly.

"Well, isn't that a shame." Dia said, walking out of the lunch dome. Kurt glared at her as she walked by. If she was going to treat his friends like this, he wasn't gonna stand for it. He picked up Sacchun's apple and threw it at her back. Dia turned around, taken aback that Kurt had thrown it at her.

Kurt glared at her, and she returned an even more sinister glare. It seemed almost as if electricity was about to crackle between the two. Dia shuddered suddenly, and stared at the ground. She rummaged through her pocket, pulled out a packet of cigarettes, pulled one out and dashed for the exit.

Everything seemed so quiet and still as Dia ran out.

...Until somebody yelled "FOOD FIIIIIGHT!" and the others had to run like ninjas to avoid all the food being thrown.


	4. Typical Joe

**/ Author's Note: **Okay! Time for Chapter 4. Joe's whereabouts are finally revealed! Anyway, thanks for all the reviews so far, and sorry for the shortness of the last chapter. In regards to Theodore's whole 'Waffle owns Pancakes' thing, I just kind of put that in for fun. Theodore the waffle-obsessed Mayor was an idea that originated in one of my discontinued fics about Magical Melody. People seemed to like it, so I thought I might as well keep it as a running gag. So yes, he loves waffles and greatly dislikes pancakes. As I said, this is a light-hearted humorous kinda fic, so Theodore is just a character that's there for the sake of comedy and for readers to think _"How on earth did he become principal!" _XD. Just a fun character I liked to throw in.

Also, the two short paragraphs in italics near the end of the chapter are Joe's PoV, which I'm sure you can easily figure out. **End Author's Note/**

Character Notes:

Gwen Starre / Karen Lucine : These are the two popularity queens of Flowerbud High, and are also rivals for popularity. Just another aspect of High School life . 'Starre' obviously originates from Star, and Lucine means Moon Goddess or something in some language, so I think it fit.

Chapter 4 - Typical Joe

Right after lunch, Lloyd had english class with Mrs. D'Amour - Aka Manna. He was the first to get there, and took a seat in the back row. He had had Manna as his english teacher last year as well, and knew her penchant for rambling on and on. As the class started to arrive, Lloyd was pleased to see that Kurt and Sacchun were in this class. They both took seats next to Lloyd, and no sooner had they sat down that Dia had stepped into the classroom. She took a seat right at the front, where Mary and Rick were sitting.

Right before the bell, Lloyd noticed that Gwen was in his english class as well. Sacchun waved to her, and Gwen, who surprisingly had none of her friends in this class, took a seat next to Sacchun.

"Guess we're in english together!" Sacchun said cheerfully.

"Looks like it." Gwen said, smiling.

A moment later, Karen had stepped into the class room. She looked around dissapointingly, finding out that none of her friends were in this class either. Also, once her eyes fell on Gwen, she groaned and cursed English. She took a seat behind Dia, far away from Gwen.

"Well, good afternoon class!" Manna said cheerfully, looking around at them. Very few students looked interested.

"This year is going to be sooooo exciting! Not only am I on yearbook commitee, but we'll be starting some of the more advanced Shakespeare plays, not to mention we'll even be putting on a play later in the year!" she said excitedly.

"And of course, I'll get the lead role!" Gwen said to Sacchun, without bothering to keep her voice down. Karen snorted.

"Yeah, right." she said, rolling her eyes. Gwen chose to ignore that.

"Oooh, I wonder what play we're doing!" Sacchun said thoughtfully.

"Girls, there will be no talking on the first day back, or any other day for that matter." Manna said. "Now, who wants to talk about their summer vacation?" Manna looked around hopefully. No one raised their hands - not even Mary and Rick, the typical nerds of this class. Mary wasn't a big talker of course, but expressed herself through writing.

"Okay... Hmm, Lloyd! How about you?" she said, fixing her eyes on Lloyd.

"Uhh... I dunno. Me and Joe spent the summer playing videogames... and we went camping. That's more or less it." Lloyd shrugged.

"Oh, speaking of which, Joe's on my class roster... Does anyone know where he is?" Manna asked, examining her class list. The class muttered 'No' or shook their heads.

"Lloyd? Don't you sit with him at lunch?" Gwen said, leaning forward to look at Lloyd.

"Well normally, yeah, but he hasn't been here since morning." Lloyd shrugged again.

"But don't you live with him?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah, but he kinda dissappeared on the way to school." Lloyd racked his brains to try and remember anything that might help.

"That's certainly odd! I hope he didn't get sick." Manna said, over the chatter of the students. "But anyway! Let's begin our lesson. I'll pass out your new notebooks for the year and you'll turn to your first page and begin the course outline!" Manna wrote 'COURSE OUTLINE' and underlined it on the blackboard, then proceeded to pass out the notebooks. She skipped the empty desk which presumably belonged to Joe.

She began to write the expectations and the requirements for this year, and began to explain them. "Now, you can see here that I've put a star next to 'Class Participation', and it is extremely important this year because --" Manna was cut off by violent coughing coming from Dia. She coughed again.

"Are you okay, dear? Do you need to get some water?" Manna rushed over to Dia.

"I- I'm fine." she stuttered through a cough. Kurt muttered something that Lloyd couldn't hear and Karen slowly pulled her desk away from Dia's.

"Okay then! What's your name, dear?" Manna said perkily. She looked very odd, being so cheerful next to such a gloomy person like Dia.

"Dia." she responded in that same cold tone they had heard at lunch.

"Well then Dia, can you explain to the class why, in your opinion, class participation is important?" Manna smiled encouragingly at her.

"...In my opinion, it's not important." she said coldly.

"Oh, but it is! It's important to interact, to socialize, to share, to _talk!_" Manna said passionately. We all knew Manna _loved _to talk.

"... I think I will get some water after all." Dia said, getting up slowly and walking to the exit of class. Everyone's eyes followed her as she left. Kurt thought for a second that she had pulled out another cigarette on her way out.

"Well... Anyway! Karen, can you explain it, dear?" Manna said, as if nothing had happened. Karen opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly they heard someone panting in the doorway of the room. Kurt whipped his head around, thinking it was Dia, but they were all surprised to see Joe standing there.

"_Joe!_" Sacchun called excitedly, motioning to a free seat in front of her. Joe walked towards it, and everyone's eyes followed him just as they had with Dia.

"So... you've missed all your morning classes. Care to explain why exactly you're so late, Mr. Dagett? Did you lose your way to the main school building despite living in the same area? Did you trip and fall into a puddle and wake up in another world? Did you get chased by a rabid dog with rabies? SPEAK!" Manna said, mockingly.

"Uh, er, Mrs D'Amour! I can explain! You see, I was walking to school with Lloyd, and...

_"Hey Lloyd, I'm just going to go back and get batteries for my MP3 player! Mine died. Okay?" I told Lloyd. He was obviously sleepwalking, since I heard a loud snore, so I rushed back. However... on my way back... I was ambushed by NINJAS! And I'm really not joking! _

_"You think you can walk into my neighbourhood and cause trouble, punks? I said, beckoning them over with my awesome kung-fu movements._

_"Honorable ninja no want trouble! You join honorobale ninja clan!" said the main ninja - I think it was the main ninja, anyway, because he he had spiffier armor than the others. Of course, they were totally evil ninjas, so I didn't join them._

_"Never!" I shouted. "I will not join you evil ninjas! You probably like...steal from old women and kick little puppy dogs or something!" _

_"Oh no, honorable ninja help old ladies cross street ... and puppies are our best friends!" they lied. I could tell it was a lie because, I'm just cool like that. So anyway, I pulled out my ninja blade and I was like "Hwaahhhh!" and he was like "KYAHHH!" and then they summoned their ultimate ninja sheep of doom and I thought I was a goner, but I used my special nun-chuck powers to defend myself. It was really kick-ass, with all the special effects and stuff, especially the part where all those sakura blossoms and..._

"Is this story going anywhere, Joe?" Manna tapped her watch.

"Yes yes, just let me finish!" Joe said.

_Okay, where was I...? Oh right, so then I was walking along and I fell into a well, which was really a ninja hide out. Then I took part in a series of complicated missions involving a giant ninja robot, a battle on a swinging bridge over a volcano, and some hot japanese ninja chicks. _

"Then I realised it was like, one o' clock and I ran to school. And here I am." Joe concluded.

"What do you take me for? Do you acctually think I'd believe such an insane story!" Manna yelled.

"No way, it's true, even ask Lloyd!" the whole class turned to Lloyd.

"Joe... How shall I say this..." Lloyd started, "You just described everything that happened in the game I got last week, _'Uber Ninja Quest II'." _Lloyd said, raising his eyebrow. Everyone laughed. Manna looked annoyed.

"Oh... oh right! I had left the batteries next to the game and when I saw it I thought I'd kick a little bit of ninja-butt before rushing off, but... yeah... uh... I guess I lost track of time?" Joe said sheepishly, turning to Manna.

"Well, It's a shame to do this, but looks like you've earned yourself a detention on the first day. Stay after class so we can arrange the detention." Manna said, scribbling something on her class list.

"Must be a record..." Kurt sighed to himself."

"WHOO! You rock, Joe!" Sacchun laughed.

"Now take your seat so we can--" but Manna was once again cut off by the school bell. She sighed irritably as the class packed up their stuff and left the classroom. Joe stayed behind, and waved to them with a sad smile. Lloyd laughed.

"That is so typically Joe." he said to the others, as they walked to their next class.


	5. After School

**/ Author's Note: **Yay for Chapter 5! This is more of a story-kind of chapter, so forgive me if its a little slow ; Beyond that, though, the story's starting to progress a bit more. Look out for Chapter 6 soon, and thanks to all the reviewers! **End Author's Note /**

Character Notes:

Dia's Last name: Elize

Other Notes:

Itadakimasu: This is a common japanese word used when somebody's about to share a meal with company. Sacchun is half japanese (hence the Yachiko, part) so she says it by habit.

Chapter 5 - After School

Lloyd walked towards the student housing buildings, proud to have gotten through the first day alive. Joe caught up with him a few moments later.

"Hey!" He greeted.

"Oh, Hi Joe. I was wondering, what did Manny-fanny want you to do for your detention? I didn't get a chance to ask you in Biology." Lloyd said - that being the class they had just had together.

"Oh, it wasn't so bad. Just chalkboard duty for a week after school... not as bad as last year when she made me rewrite my essay ten times by hand just because I had she overheard my imitation of her..." Joe said thoughtfully.

"Haha, oh man, I remember that!" Lloyd laughed. "Maybe she felt pity on you cause it's the first day."

"Probably!" Joe laughed. He was so careless, even if it was the first day. The girls had already gone home. Lloyd and Joe entered the lobby to the student housing building, and Lloyd looked through their mailbox (it was one of those mailboxes embedded in the wall with all the other mailboxes of the people who lived there), but didn't find any mail. Joe, however, stared at another mailbox.

"Hey, looks like there's a new resident. Last name is 'Elize'..." Joe said, examining it.

"Oh, that's Dia, I guess. She lives here, huh?" Lloyd said.

"Dia? That weird gothy girl in our english class you told me about?" Joe asked, looking at Lloyd.

"Yeah. She and your bro already have become enemies." Lloyd said. He explained the whole story on the way up to their room.

"Wow, I missed all that!" Joe said dissapointedly as he opened the door to their room.

"It _did _make for an interesting first day." Lloyd admitted.

"Yep... hey, up for some Uber Ninja Quest II?" Joe asked, jumping on to the couch and turning on the Gamecube.

"Why don't we play some more Super Smash Bros.? Unless you're scared I'll kick your butt. again." Lloyd teased.

"Yeah, you wish." Joe said, sticking out his tongue.

"What about dinner?" Lloyd asked, dumping his schoolbag on a chair.

"Can't we just the girls to do it? I'm too tired..." Joe whined.

"Tired? Tired from what? You barely even attended half of the first day!" Lloyd said.

"Yeah well... ninja butt-kicking takes a lot of energy, you know!" he retorted. Lloyd rolled his eyes.

"Of course it does."

Sacchun came out of her room, brushing her hair straight without the pigtails. Her hair was a bit longer than shoulder-length without the pigtails.

"Meggy I'm hungryy..." she whined. Meg was already in the kitchen, preparing two salads for them.

"Oooh, nyum nyum! Leafy goodness in a bowl!" Sacchun said, helping herself to the completed bowl of salad.

"I'm playing it safe this time and staying away from the toaster." Meg laughed, passing Sacchun a fork. "You know, it was technically Theodore's fault... I don't know why he thought setting a toaster to maximum power would make the waffles better."

"I don' know whysh you lishtened to him!" Sacchun said, her bad habit of talking with her mouth full coming into play again.

"I wondered what the boys are doing for dinner..." Meg said thoughtfully.

"Oh, oh! That meanie Dia girl is living this building now." Sacchun informed her.

"Yeah, I read on the mailboxes. I don't like her." Meg said firmly.

"Aw well, she's a meanie, but she needs a ... hug... or something to make her less... meanie-like!" Sacchun said, already done her bowl of salad. Meg took it from her and put it in the dishwasher, with her own.

"We should go spy on her. See what kind of dark arts she gets up to at home." Sacchun suggested.

"Uh, no... I don't care what she does." Meg said.

"Kurt and her really don't seem to get along."

"That's obvious! Kurt wouldn't be friends with that she-devil."

"...He tried to be, y'know!"

"...Well it's a good thing he didn't." Meg said, slamming the dishwasher door a little harder than she meant too. Sacchun got the hint.

"So what's for the main course?" She asked.

"That was it... I had a big lunch, plus I'm still on my diet!" Meg said, seeming completely satisfied with the meal.

"But... I'm hungggrry..." Sacchun cried.

"Then go eat with the boys! I ain't cooking anything else." she said irritably, pulling out a math textbook from her bag and opening it up. She put it on the coffee table and immersed herself in its contents.

Sacchun left to go downstairs to the Boys' room.

"HAH! See? Zelda totally smashed you!" Lloyd yelled triumphantly.

"I still have two lives left! I'll get you back!" Joe said angrily, mashing buttons on his controller.

"Stupid Link with his stupid Sword..." Lloyd said irritably as Zelda flew off the edge of the level.

"You know, we've been playing since we got home... We should probably make dinner soon." Lloyd said, putting down his controller.

"Let's just go mooch off the girls." Joe said lazily. Lloyd looked at the clock - it was already 7, the girls had probably eaten by now. Right on cue, however, Sacchun opened the door and walked in.

"Heyy guys! What's up? Let's eat, I'm starved!" she said, shutting the door behind her.

"...Actually, we haven't cooked anything yet. We were hoping we could have dinner at your place." Lloyd told her. She looked dissapointed.

"No, Meg's still on her leafy rabbit diet. She's not cooking anything..."

"Then let's go mooch food off of Dia!" Joe said jokingly.

"Uhh, kay! Let's go!" Sacchun said, turning to the door.

"Uh, no." Lloyd said, pulling Sacchun back. "I don't think she'd be too eager to share. Let's just make some of our own food."

"Hmm... Okay! How about... burgers?" she suggested.

"It'll take too long... let's just make fried rice or something, that's easy to make." Joe said. Of course, as Sacchun and Lloyd were cooking, Joe just lazed around on the couch watching TV. Typical Joe indeed.

Sacchun cut the chicken and Lloyd fried the rice and the vegetables and the egg, and then they fried the chicken and split it on three plates. They each took one and sat at the table to eat.

"_Itadakimasu!" _Sacchun said, clapping her hands together and immediately wolfing down her food.

"Meg, you don't have to say that, you know. We're not japanese." Joe said.

"Oh I know... itsh jusht a habbit of mine." She said, her mouth filled with rice.

"Just like eating with your mouth full?" Lloyd teased.

"Hey, it's part of my charming personality! Now hush!" Sacchun said, swallowing hard.

Sacchun went home right after supper, and Lloyd hit the books. Joe just read over Lloyd's shoulder for a bit, as he hadn't gotten any of his text books since he hadn't arrived for the first half of the day. Soon enough, though, Joe got bored and went off to play Uber Ninja Quest II.

Right before bed, Lloyd was putting away the videogames when the phone rang. He picked it up.

"Hello?" he said into the reciever.

"..." said whoever it was. It wasn't dead silent, it sounded like someone was on the other line.

"...Hello" Lloyd repeated, more clearly.

"..." still, that faint breathing.

"Hey Lloyd, who's on the phone?" Joe asked, walking out of the bathroom.

"Don't know. No one's saying anything. _Hello?_" He repeated again, looking at the caller ID. It was both 'Unknown Name' and "Unknown Number'.

"Maybe it's that creepy Dia girl!" Joe laughed. Lloyd laughed also.

"Maybe." he said, hanging up.


	6. Clash of the Cliques

Chapter 6: Clash of the Cliques

**// Author's Note: **So how are you liking Harvest High so far? This chapter is not bad in terms of length, so I hope you'll like it. You get to read one of many feuds between Karen and Gwen. **End Author's Note //**

Character Notes

Mr. Brassen is Michael, the Math Teacher, and Ann's dad.

"...And for homework, just complete numbers 5-7 in your textbooks." Concluded Mr. Brassen, Lloyd's math teacher and Ann's father (though Ann wasn't in this class). The class lazily scribbled down the homework and closed their textbooks just as the bell rang.

"C'mon Meg, I know you're good at math, but you have to admit, that was pretty boring." Lloyd said, rubbing his eyes while walking to Meg's desk.

"Yeah... It kinda was." She said, holding her stuff and getting up. The two of them exited the class together.

"What d'you have next?" Lloyd asked.

"Oh, I have Biology."

"Damn, I have English." Lloyd said, looking at his own schedule.

"Oh well, at least you have Joe and Kurt and Sacchun in your class!"

"Yeah, but it would be better with you in it." Lloyd said honestly. Meg just laughed and went to her locker. Lloyd met up with Joe and the two of them walked to English together. They met up with Mary and Rick and walked with them to class. They passed Kurt in the hall way, and he told them that he wouldn't be in English today, since he had to go to a Student Council meeting. Manna was already informed, apparently.

"Oh, I wonder what books we'll be reading this year..." Mary said passionately. Everyone knew the girl was crazy about books.

"Hmm, well It'll probably be a book you've read. You've read like, _every _book." Joe said.

"Oh, well not _every _book..." Mary said, embarassed.

"Knowing Manna, it could be a book she wrote herself about her own life." Lloyd thought aloud. Joe laughed.

"That would be a huge book. The size of like, an encyclopedia or something."

They arrived at their english class to find that they were the first ones there. Unsurprisingly. They took their seats and Lloyd and Joe chatted among themselves. Sacchun and Gwen soon came in and joined them, and minutes later they heard a great deal of commotion from the door. Looking over, they saw Karen entering, and all her friends waiting at the door, as if they were personally escorting her there. Gwen sighed and rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed.

"What a show off." She muttered.

The bell had rang, the rest of the class had taken their seats, and Manna still hadn't arrived at class. Karen called for her friends to come over, and they all walked into the class, sacrificing their own class time to hang out with Karen. Karen was obviously trying to prove to the class that she was the alpha female.

Karen's little party was interrupted shortly afterwards however by some rough, familiar coughing. Dia walked in, her face looking slightly paler than usual. She walked right through Karen's posse and took her place at the front of the class, without uttering a single word to Karen's friends. Popuri Ellenore, a pink-haired member of Karen's clique walked over to Dia.

"Uh, say 'excuse me' next time, It'd be nice, 'kay?" she said to Dia.

"Whatever." Dia said indifferently.

"Ex_cuse_ me?" Popuri said, annoyed at Dia. Dia said nothing. Popuri got annoyed and left to rejoin Karen. The group continued to chatter on.

Gwen checked her clock irritably.

"Where the _hell _is Manna?" Gwen said to the others.

"Iunno. Maybe she got caught up fighting evil ninjas." Sacchun teased, poking Joe in the cheek.

"Hey, it's a perfectly legit reason..."

Mary had opened up a book and started reading it, and Rick was staring at Karen's posse with mild interest. Everyone knew he had a crush on Karen, but it wasn't like she'd _ever _return the feelings. Joe started making small paper airplanes and shooting them around the room. Gwen just doodled frustratedly in her notebook. Finally getting tired of Karen's incessant chatting, she flipped open her Cell phone and text messaged several members of her _own _clique. This wasn't terribly unusual - Gwen and Karen were always fighting for the position of alpha female. They were both rivals in popularity, and each of them were equally popular with both the male and female population.

Soon, as if the class had suddenly become a free-for-all party, Gwen's friends began appearing at the door and entering. Sacchun, who had been listening to her MP3 player, waved at a few of them and they waved back. Eve, a flirty blonde girl that half the male population had fallen in love with, skipped over to Gwen. The two of them were best friends. As usual, Eve was wearing something revealing - a strapless tube top and a miniskirt. Joe was staring while in the middle of making another paper airplane.

"Hehe, I just had biology, and Mr. Brunell completely fell for the whole 'allergies' routine." Eve said, proud of herself. Eve was also a great actress.

"Awesome. Karen's been showing off _all _class, I can't stand it!" Gwen told Eve.

"Ohmigod, and did you see her new shoes?"

"I KNOW! What _decade _did she pull _those _out of?" Gwen said in disgust.

"Oh Karen!" they heard Popuri say from the other side of the room. "I heard that you're probably going to be the lead singer in this year's musical for sure! After all, with a voice like yours, its unsurprising."

"Yeah, a voice that sounds like a dying beaver." Gwen said loudly. Karen turned to face Gwen so quickly her hair nearly whipped Popuri in the face.

"Are you kidding? I have a way better voice than you." Karen said crossly.

"Hahahaha! I won the fifth grade Choir Award." Gwen bragged.

"I won fifth _and _sixth _and _seventh grade Choir award." Karen said impressively.

"Well then, how come I was chosen as the lead singer for last year's musical, huh, music nerd?" Gwen taunted.

"That... You... That was just because I had a cold! It was unfair circumstances!" Karen shrieked.

"Of course, whatever you say, Karen." Gwen said apathetically, ticking Karen off. Even Mary had put down her book to watch with mild interest. Popuri just glared at Gwen. Sacchun was bored, so she just got up and started drawing flowers and unicorns on the black board. Dia sat there, with the occasional cough, and Manna still hadn't shown up.

"Well," said Karen evilly. "At least I didn't look like a drunk _cow _in my picture last year."

"You're right - you looked more like a drunk gorilla." Gwen retorted. Eve laughed. With nothing better to do, Lloyd began to ponder whether or not he should ask Dia if it was her on the phone last night. He decided not to; he had no reason to accuse her, but he decided to go see her and say 'Hi' anyway, because the alternative would be to listen too -

"...And then at the beach, you lost your bathing suit --"

" Yeah but your acne was _so _bad that it..."

" ... running around in a towel like a headless chicken..."

" Nearly covered your whole face like a bad case of..."

"Uh, Hi Dia." Lloyd said to her, wondering what her reaction would be. She acctually looked at him this time, but didn't say anything. She stared into his eyes, as if asking 'What do you want?'. He wasn't quite sure what to say...

"So... where did you live before this?" he asked, trying to make conversation. Dia just got up, walked to the door, and left._ So much for that. _Lloyd thought.

Sacchun continued to draw pretty pictures on the black board as Gwen and Karen continued to battle it out.

"Look, you don't need to be jealous just cause I have a bigger fanbase than you!" Karen shouted from one end of the room.

"Like hell you do! Everyone knows I'm more popular!" Gwen said, looking out at everyone in the classroom for support. Eve and her friends agreed, but no one else in the classroom said anything.

"See? They like _me _more!" Karen said triumphantly. However, the class didn't say anything at all again. The truth was, of course, that no one wanted to get involved. Sacchun just hummed to herself while finishing a unicorn on the board.

"Well, let's get a third party here!" Karen said suddenly, having an idea. "Sacchun! Who do you think is more popular?"

"Yes, Sacchun, tell us!" Gwen said. Sacchun spun around, bewildered as if she hadn't noticed everything that had happened behind her.

"Uhh... Iunno." Sacchun said, shrugging. "You're both cool, I guess."

"Yeah, but who's cooler?" Karen asked.

"I think you're both cool. Though, kinda immature. Oh! I think MARY'S the coolest!" Sacchun said, skipping over to Mary's desk.

"Wh-what?" Mary said, as Sacchun pulled her up.

"Yay. Go Mary." Sacchun said happily. Karen and Gwen stared at her.

"...Maybe we need a sane person's opinion..." Eve whispered to Gwen. Gwen nodded. They continued to battle it out until finally, five minutes before the bell, Manna arrived.

"Oh my, what seems to be happening here?" she said, staring at the amount of people in the room, the paper airplanes everywhere, and the unicorn drawings on the black board. "I'm so sorry! I got caught up talking to Mr. Espátula about my day and... I guess time just flew by! I don't see why, I'm usually very short and to-the-point with my conversations."

Almost everyone in the class looked at one another, eyebrows raised.

"I'm not sure if he understood everything, with his spanish and everything but... Anyway! What on earth is going on?" she asked, hands firmly on her hips.

"Miss! Isn't it true that I have a better voice than Karen?!" Gwen demanded of her, getting to her feet.

"No, miss! Tell her that I've always been the better singer! Remember, 7th grade?!" Karen got to her feet also.

"Oh, I see what's going on..." Manna said. Eve and Popuri tried to act casual and unnoticable.

"You're all practicing for the school musical!!" Manna said ecstatically. "I've never seen such enthusiasm! This class must have been very productive! Good work, everyone!" Manna said. The bell rang, and Gwen and Karen and everyone else picked up their stuff and left, growling at each other. Lloyd, Joe and Sacchun all got up and were about to leave the class.

"Wait..." Manna said, staring around at the chalk boards. Sacchun froze. "...Who made all these pictures..?" she asked them.

"Uhh... the magical picture ninjas..?" Sacchun said sheepishly.

"I see." Manna said. "Yes, I see... I see they spent their time productively as well! These are beautiful pictures!" she said happily.

"No, wait miss, I was just joking! It was me!" Sacchun, waving her hand. Manna ignored her.

"I should give them bonus points... yes, yes I should..." she said, grinning slyly.

"But Miss--!!"

"Oh, Sacchun, you'll be late for your next class, you'd better go!" Manna said, lightly pushing her out the door. She joined Joe and Lloyd as the door shut behind her. Lloyd and Joe began laughing at her."Damn magical picture ninjas!" Sacchun cried, shaking her fist. "Those bonus points belonged to me!"


	7. Puppy Love

Chapter 7: Puppy Love

**/ Author's Note: **Okay! Time for Chapter 7. This chapter takes place at home again, but I hope you all like it Thanks for the kind reviews from everyone as well! I'm glad people like my fanfic, I'll deffinitely continue it if I know people like it. **End Author's Note /**

Lloyd stared out the window of his building, watching the falling leaves sway slowly to the ground, balanced out by the quick raindrops shooting from the sky. It was a gloomy Saturday, with nothing to be done. Lloyd had even finished all his homework. Joe had gone out to the convenience store to buy more Ramen bowls for them.

_He should be home soon._ Lloyd thought, staring out at the street. His stomach grumbled. Somebody knocked on the door, and Lloyd turned around. _It must be Joe!_

He dashed for the door and opened it, but it was not Joe standing there. Sacchun and Meg were there. They greeted Lloyd.

"It's sooooo boring today." Sacchun complained. "So we decided to come hang out here!"

"Well, It's better than sitting around doing nothing. Come in." Lloyd said, moving aside as they walked in.

"Wow, the place is clean for once!" Meg said, amazed.

"Well, Joe isn't here and I had time to clean today, so yeah." Lloyd laughed.

"Where is Joe?" Meg asked.

"Oh, he went out to get some Ramen bowls. Hasn't come back yet." Lloyd thought aloud, checking his watch.

"He probably got ambushed by ninjas on the way there or something! He could be breaking out some nun-chuck action as we speak!" Sacchun laughed.

"Oh man, you're never going to let him live that down, are you?" Lloyd said as the three of them sat down on the couch.

"What can I say? It was a classic typical Joe moment!" Sacchun said fondly.

"Anyway, you guys should join us for ramen, if you haven't eaten already." Lloyd offered.

"Mmm! Ramen! It's way better than that leafy rabbit foo--" Meg shot Sacchun a dirty glare. "--... which is very nutricious and important and vital to having a nicely shaped body..." Sacchun finished sheepishly.

"Oh well. Once in a while it's okay, so I guess we'll stay, Lloyd." Meg said.

"Yay! Ramen fun time!" Sacchun said excitedly. They sat there and talked for a while.

"The first week really zoomed by." Sacchun said. Meg was in the kitchen fixing them some tea, the best beverage for a rainy day.

"I know what you mean. One week down, one too many to go." Lloyd said.

"Our school always starts late... on the last week of September. Today's already the first of October!" Sacchun said.

"Yeah, but I don't mind starting late in September. It's always got this gloomy 'back-to-school' feeling to it anyway. Oh, and Thanksgiving is coming up soon!" Lloyd suddenly realised.

"Oh yeah!" Sacchun said thoughtfully. Meg gave them each a mug of tea, and they drank for a bit.

"No, seriously, _where _is Joe?" Lloyd said, checking his watch again.

"I hope he didn't drown or something. The rain's coming down pretty hard." said Meg.

"No fear of that, Joe is a good swimmer!" Sacchun laughed, sipping her tea loudly. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Oh - That must be --" Sacchun started.

"_Joe! _Where have you been?" Lloyd said as he opened the door for his roommate. He was dripping wet and was holding a soggy plastic bag with many ramen bowls in it. He waved to them all and took off his bandana and twisted it with his hands to get all the water out.

"So why were you so late?" Meg asked, taking the bags from his hand.

"Uh..." Joe said looking down. At his feet were two small puppies, both a colour of light-orange/brown-ish. One had pointed ears and the other had long floppy ears. Both were extremely cute.

"Awww, Joey made some friends!" Sacchun said clamping her hands together.

"Whoa, where did you get them?" Lloyd said, alarmed.

"I was walking back from the store, and saw somebody's umbrella left on the ground. I went to see the umbrella, and behind it were these two guys. They woke up and just sorta followed me home, but they seemed really hungry so I had to stop by at a store and buy them some food." Joe explained.

"Now they'll never leave..." Lloyd groaned, even though he did find them adorable.

"But... you can't keep them! The student loaned buildings only allow one pet!" Sacchun said sadly.

"Can't you guys take one?" Joe asked. He had a pleading look on his face.

"I ... I guess we can." Meg said uncertainly.

"Ooooh! ME WANT ME WANT ME WANTTTYYY!" Sacchun said, bounding from the couch and nearly glomping them.

"Careful Sacchun, they are still puppies, you know!" Lloyd said.

"But they're just shoooo cute.." she said, petting each of them. They seemed content and well-behaved as far as puppies go.

"You know it takes a lot of responsibility!" Meg warned her.

"Yes, but it's okay. We'll split the responsibilities and it'll make our homes a lot more fun!" Sacchun reasoned.

"She's got a good point." Lloyd admitted.

"They really _are _cute!" Meg said. Lloyd went to the kitchen and found two plastic bowls they rarely used. He filled one with water and got some left over chicken in the fridge and put some into the other bowl. He left it near the counter for the dogs.

"We should probably get some real dog food, Joe." Lloyd said.

"No way, not right now anyway! It's wetter than a ... a rainstorm!"

"Nice simile." Meg said sarcastically.

"Yeah, it was enough trouble getting the ramen." The ramen which, sadly, had been completely forgotten about in light of the new puppies.

"It'll be enough for today, when it clears up tomorrow we should get some though."

"Okay, but more importantly... Who's gonna take which?" Joe said, looking around at the four of them.

"Uhhh... good question." Sacchun said, sitting up.

"We need names, too." Meg reminded them.

"Yes, that too." Lloyd said.

Nobody said anything...

"So uhh... yeah, who's taking who?" Joe repeated.

"Uhh..." Meg said.

"I can't decide! They're both so cute!" Sacchun said in a high-pitched voice.

"I have an idea." said Lloyd. "You two stand at the end of the room -" he pointed to Meg and Sacchun, then to the end of the room, "- and Joe and I will move to that end - " he jerked his thumb in back of them, "- and we'll see where the puppies go." They all agreed and took up their positions.

The puppies sat there, looking confused from side to side.

"Here puppy! One of you! C'mere!" Sacchun said, trying to coax one of the puppies to her side.

"Heeeeeeere doggy!" Joe called. Slowly, after a while, the floppy-eared dog moved towards Joe and Lloyd and the pointy eared one just kind of sat there.

"I guess the pointy-eared one is ours then!" Meg said, going to pick it up. She held it like a baby and it seemed happy.

"Let's name it Magical Unicorn Ranger!" Sacchun said excitedly.

"No! We need a better name than that" Meg said, straining to think of one.

"The way I see it, a name will just come to you eventually if you spend enough time with the puppy." Lloyd said wisely.

"I guess so." Sacchun said sadly.

"We should get going! We need to modify our apartment to make it more... dog-livable." Meg said, about to dash for the door.

"Wait --" Joe stopped her. " -- Who's up for some Ramen?" he grinned, pointing to the bag of ramen bowls on the table.

"Oh, I forgot!" Meg said.

"YAY! Ramen fun time _and _magical unicorn puppies! Today can't get any better!" Sacchun said. As they were chatting happily and eating their bowls of ramen, they were interrupted rather rudely. The phone rang loudly, causing the dogs to bark at the unusual noise. Lloyd went to get the phone.

" Unknown Name, Unknown Number again." Lloyd said cautiously. He picked up the phone.

"Hello...?" he said into the reciever. He heard someone inhale, as if about to speak, and it sounded slightly familiar.. No one said anything.

"_Hello!" _Lloyd said annoyed. "Look, if you have nothing to say, _stop calling! _" he said, hanging up the phone. The dogs watched him as he went back to the table.

"Hmm, wash it that myshteriush pershon again?" Sacchun said, slurping on her noodles.

"Yeah, but this time I heard them inhale, as if about to speak." Lloyd told them.

"Maybe they just keep getting the wrong number." Meg suggested.

"I don't think so... It's all weird."

Later that night, after the girls and their new puppy had gone to bed, Joe and Lloyd were in no haste to go to sleep. The two of them lay comfourtably on the floor, playing with their new puppy. He was very affectionate and playful, and seemed to add a whole new level of liveliness to the small apartment. They had grown very fond of him already.

They played video games for a few hours, then fell asleep with the puppy in a tangled blanket on the couch, sleeping blissfully with the new member of their family keeping them warm.


	8. The Harvest Festival : Part 1

// **Author's Note: **And so I introduce the first Festival of the series! I wanted to keep a few festivals in, just to make it a bit more true to the series - however you will see the similarities and differences between the modern day festival and the acctual ones.

Keep your eyes out for foreshadowing, because each chapter has a bit of it! Thanks for all the reviews and thanks for all the readers who have been reading my fic so far... Im so happy **End Author's Note // **

**Character Notes:**

I hadn't mentioned it, but Ellen's dad's name is Hans, I believe.

Even though this isn't technically a character, Blue Sky Pet Shop is supposed to be based off Blue Sky Ranch (MM) and Azure Street is just based off the japanese name of the Blue Sky Ranch (Azure Ranch).

Chapter 8 - The Harvest Festival (Part 1)

Sunday morning, Lloyd got up to walk the dog. They still hadn't come up with a name for it, but they did discern his gender. Joe was still sleeping when Lloyd left, and when he opened the door from the lobby, the brisk autumn air woke him up slighlty. The dog was ecstatic to be out, even though there were puddles everywhere. The weather was nicer today, and the weather said it would get warmer as the day continued.

He walked the dog for a bit, up and down the street outside the school area, which was mostly a shopping street - convenience stores, clothes stores, and miscellaneous stores made up the street from top to bottom. It was called Azure Street. Most of the students who lived in the student buildings would do their shopping here. Lloyd waved to some of the shopkeepers setting up who he knew, and decided to stop at a small Pet care shop called 'Blue Sky Pet Shop'. He wanted to see what they had when it came to dog food. The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man with very short brown hair and bucked teeth - he gave off a remarkably strong "hill-billy" vibe.

"Hello." Lloyd said politely. He hadn't been in the shop before.

"H'lo there, sonny!" he said, flashing a toothy smile. "Cute dog ya got there."

"Thanks..." Lloyd said, approaching the counter.

"What's the little feller's name?" he asked.

"Uh, we don't have one for him yet. I acctually just got him yesterday, which is why I came here - I was wondering if you guys had any dog food I could get for him." Lloyd explained. The man fumbled for a bit underneath the counter, mumbling to himself.

"Huh... Where could it've gone..." he turned around and opened the door to the backroom. "Ellen! Ellen, hon, could'ya get the dog food in the cabinet! We need a new stock!" he yelled.

"Oh, wait, you're Ellen's dad?" Lloyd asked.

"Yeah! Y'must go to Flowerbud High also." he said, turning around from the backroom doorway.

"Yeah, Ellen's in my enviromental science class." Lloyd smiled. Ellen came out holding a large bright orange bag and plopped it on the counter.

"Oh, Lloyd! I didn't know you had a dog." she said, rushing from behind the counter to go see Lloyd's new dog.

"Well that's understandable; I only got him yesterday."

"He's so cute!" Ellen said affectionately. She was a big animal lover. The dog barked happily and wagged his tail.

"As long as you feed him at least twice a day he should be fine. Oh, and you can have this free, just promise to take good care of him!" Ellen said, handing him the bag and a free brush.

"Wow, thanks Ellen. That's nice of you." Lloyd said, paying for the dog food. Ellen winked at him.

"It's the least I can do for a fellow animal lover!"

Lloyd left the shop, and continued his walk. He walked to the top of the street, which led into a main street that went through the city, then walked back, holding his purchases in a plastic bag. It was nice for an autumn day, and since it was the end of September and the beginning of October, the leaves were already coloured and falling. On his way back, more and more people were out.

He walked down the sidewalk, staring at all the people setting up, when unexpectedly, he crashed into someone.

"Owwie..." said a familiar voice.

"Ack, Sorry..." he said, getting up and picking up his bag. He looked at the familiar blonde head.

"Oh! Lloyd!" Meg said, rubbing her head and getting to her feet. She was decked out in a red sweat suit.

"I didn't know you jogged in the morning." Lloyd said, surprised.

"Oh, eheheh... Yeah, I kinda need to lose weight." she said, rubbing the back of her head.

"What, why? You're skinny enough as it is." he laughed.

"It's not funny Lloydie! A girl is only as good as her looks." she said huffily.

"But you look fine, there's no need to starve yourself and go running this early in the morning." Lloyd told her. She blushed and turned away.

"Well, I guess not but..." she trailed off.

"Wha? Didn't catch that."

"Nothing! So will you be going to the Harvest Festival at the town Plaza?" she asked, changing the subject. Lloyd stared at her.

"W-What?"

"The Harvest Festival..." Meg repeated.

"I completely forgot!!" Lloyd exclaimed. Meg laughed at Lloyd's forgetfulness.

"Okay Meg, I better get home and prepare something. See you at the festival!" Lloyd waved and ran off back to his house. The Harvest Festival was a festival that took place in town, and many of the shopkeepers and everyone would come out to attend. The festivals in town were big and full of attractions, and they were always fun. This particular festival was designed to give thanks to the farmers and to the Harvest Goddess for a great harvest, and to enjoy a well-made meal using fresh crops from the harvest. The villagers always made dishes of vegetable food and brought it to the festival, and spread it out all over the long table in the square. Anyone was welcome to eating from it, and then the main attraction started; a large pot would be moved into the center of the square, and each villager would get a turn to put something into it to make a huge Harvest Stew. It was a sort of old-fashioned festival, but everyone loved it all the same.

Lloyd burst into the apartment room and threw the dog food on the couch, then ran to the kitchen. Joe was still asleep - he could sleep through a hurricane easily. Lloyd searched the fridge, and decided to make a simple dish to bring this year: Baked Sweet Potatoes. He quickly prepared them, cut them, seasoned them, and layed them out decoratively, and threw a few sweet potatoes into a plastic bag to add to the Harvest Pot. He went to wake up Joe to at least tell him where he was going, but when he knocked on Joe's room, there was no reply.

_'I hope he hasn't gone missing. Again.'_ Lloyd thought. He opened the door to Joe's messy room. His clothes were lying everywhere, but suspiciously he wasn't there. Lloyd walked to his desk and found a note lying on it.

_Lloyd -_

_I've gone to the Harvest Festival_

_You weren't here when I woke up,_

_so I figured you had gone early._

_  
See ya there! Joe._

_'Wait, so even JOE remembered, and not me?!'_ Lloyd thought, his head spinning. What next? Theodore starts hating waffles? Sacchun becomes sane? Dia helping the elderly cross the street? Manna shutting up?!

Lloyd pet the dog affectionately, locked the apartment door and ran off to the Harvest Festival


	9. The Harvest Festival : Part 2

**// Author's Note: **Thank you once again for the reviews on my oh so strange High school fanfic XD. So we meet a few more characters in this chapter, most of them will have bigger parts in later chapters though. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!

Oh, and also, I would like to take the time to promote Singkatsu-san's fanfics as well She's a great writer and a friend of mine, so ... check out her fanfics! XD **End Author's Note //**

**Character Notes**

Dr. Alex: I decided to make him older than the other MM bachelors, and make him the school doctor

Karen: If you've played BTN/FoMT, you know how bad Karen's cooking can be P

Chapter 9 - The Harvest Festival (Part 2)

'_Almost there...' _Lloyd thought to himself, running towards the square. There were many banners and decorations in town, and even a few flyers sticking to the walls of buildings advertising the festival. To get to the Square, Lloyd had to run halfway down Azure Street and then turn right in the middle to the square. The square was mostly used for School festivals or festivals within the Flowerbud and Azure area - The whole area was like a small town to them. The streets were pretty deserted, except for a few people, since everyone had to be at the Square. Lloyd turned the corner and ran right into the square. The square had walls on each side, though they weren't very high, and there were trees on the outside. Beautifully coloured leaves littered the ground as Lloyd walked into the Square, and many decorations had been put up. The long table was in the center, and there was an autumn center-piece in the middle, as well as booths lined all around the square. Many shop owners had come to the festival to sell their home made food at the booths. The whole square was crowded with many villagers chatting, talking, laughing, and even the kids were running around playing games. It was a true festival. He spotted Joe, Karen, Sacchun, and Meg all standing together, and decided to go see them.

"Wow, to think that _I _acctually got here before _you!_" Joe teased as he approached.

"Yeah yeah, I forgot! It happens once in a while to everyone." Lloyd said, rolling his eyes.

"Hi Lloyd!" Karen said. Lloyd waved, then stared at what was in her hands. A large jar of what looked suspiciously like... Rellish?

"Uhh... Is that...?" Lloyd started.

"Rellish? Yes! Yes, it is. The stew will taste great with my rellish!" Karen said happily. Lloyd glanced at Joe. Then to Sacchun.

"Uhh... Yes, I'm sure it will." Sacchun nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, my mom tried to stop me. She doesn't have a good taste when it comes to fine cuisine." Karen said, convinced that her rellish would really make the stew taste better.

"I mean, she practically runs when I ask her to taste my cooking!" Karen said, appalled.

"...I guess she just can't recognize... good... cooking, right guys?" Joe said, nodding at Lloyd and Sacchun. They both nodded.

"Yeah.."

"So what did you bring?" Karen asked them.

"I brought some Baked Sweet Potatoes for the table and some Yams for the stew." Lloyd said, pulling the stuff out.

"I brought Cupcakes for the table... Yummy." Sacchun said, rummaging through her plastic bag to find a plastic container of cupcakes.

"I brought some grilled fish for the table, and a fish for the stew!" Joe said, holding up his own plastic bag.

"Those look awesome, but I brought one of my own home-made recipes for the table!" Karen said proudly. They all exchanged quick glances of horror, all thinking the same thing: _She better not make us try it!_

Karen pulled out her own dish, covered in saran wrap. Inside was what looked like burnt bread covered in an odd thick sauce and had pieces of brocolli sticking out, and for some reason, it smelt suspiciously like fish.

"Uhhh... what is it?" Joe asked, trying to sound as polite as possible.

"It's a cream of brocolli pie!" she said, holding it closer. Joe backed away slightly.

"Maybe we should go put our stuff on the table." Sacchun said quickly, and she turned around and walked off to the long table. Lloyd, Joe, and Karen followed.

At the table they saw Gwen, putting a large bowl of soup with a plastic ladel in it on the table. The soup looked thick and light, and a rich aroma was coming from it. Joe drooled a bit - though it was unclear whether he was staring at Gwen or the soup...

"Gwen." Karen said coldly, glaring at her.

"Karen." Gwen said equally coldly. "I see you've made another abomination." she said, glancing in disgust at Karen's ... "pie".

"Hah! My cream of brocolli pie kicks the butt of your... smelly soup. What did you make it out of? Sweaty gym socks?" Karen said, sniffing the soup in disgust.

"Hahaha. Look who's talking. What kind of sauce is that? Fish blood?" Gwen said.

"I think they both look good!" said Sacchun, in an attempt to quell the fighting.

"Well who's is better?" Gwen said competetively.

"Uhh..." This was not what Sacchun had had in mind.

"Yes, Sacchun, tell us who's is better!" Karen urged her. Gwen poured a small bowl of soup and handed it to Sacchun. Karen cut a slice of her dish and gave it to Sacchun.

"Well?" they both said in unison.

"I don't know... I don't want to spoil my... appetite..." Sacchun muttered, but they didn't seem to notice.

"Poor Sacchun..." Lloyd whispered to Joe. Sacchun stared at them, as if trying to say _"SAVE MEE!". _Joe and Lloyd just shook their heads, and Sacchun was forced into it.

She took a sip of Gwen's soup, and the warmth and flavour was flawless. She took another sip, and in no time she had finished what was in the small bowl. Then... she turned to the... other plate.

"Okay!" Sacchun said bravely, trying to prepare herself. "I-I'm ready!" she said. "...Don't try to stop me or anything!"

"Well, go for it!" Karen said happily.

"Uhh... yup! Here I go!" Sacchun said, picking up her fork. They all stared at her. She took her sweet time cutting a piece of the pie with her fork, then picking it up with her fork, then moving it to her mouth, then putting it in. Karen watched with a fiery glint in her eyes, as if she was sure that her dish was perfect. Sacchun took a bite. Then chewed. And chewed again.

"...So?" They all asked. Sacchun staggered, her skin seemed to be tinted with green. Her eyes went out of focus, then back in, then out again. She stared at the plate of what she had just eaten, and unsurprisingly, fell to the ground, unconcious. Karen managed to catch the plate before it could reach the ground. Gwen laughed.

"Hahahaha! That should be good enough for you Karen - _my _dish is far superior to yours!" she said triumphantly.

"Sacchuuun!" Joe said, kneeling down, trying to shake her awake.

"Yeah right! Your soup probably made her pass out, she had barely even swallowed _my _meal!" Karen retorted.

"It wasn't my soup! My soup was great!" Gwen argued, offended.

"Yeah well, not so great if it made her pass out!"

"It was _your _pie that made her pass out!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!

"Was not!

"Was too!"

Joe and Lloyd dragged Sacchun off away from the arguing girls and went to find Dr. Alex. Dr. Alex was the school doctor, and they figured he'd be able to help Sacchun gain conciousness. They saw him at a Riceball stand, eating riceballs and observing the festivities. He saw them approached and quickly walked over to Sacchun. It seemed weird seeing Dr. Alex in casual jeans and a sweater - they were so used to seeing him in his doctor's coat.

"What happened to her?" Dr. Alex asked, inspecting her and feeling her pulse. Lloyd glanced around and leaned in to whisper to him.

"_Karen._" he said simply. A look of realisation dawned on Dr. Alex's face.

"Ahh... We have a victim of Karen's cooking every year." he said, shaking his head. He pulled out some Turbojolt and poured some into Sacchun's open mouth, closed it, and rubbed her throat. She swallowed it and opened her eyes.

"Oooh, pretty ninja stars..." she said, dazzled, then she looked up. From Sacchun's perspective, the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was the dreamy face of Dr. Alex leaning over her. She had a huge crush on him, not that he knew. She blushed and sat right up, bonking her head on his head.

"Owwie..." Sacchun said, rubbing her head. Alex rubbed his head too.

"Want me to kiss your booboo?" Alex joked, grinning.

"Yes pwease..." Sacchun said, looking like a little child.

"What was that?" Alex said, as if he hadn't heard her. Sacchun came back to her senses.

"Oh! Uh, nothing, just nothing Mister Doctor man!" she said, getting up and thanking him and walking off. Lloyd and Joe thanked him, though Joe did so a little bitterly than you would've expected. Just as they went to catch up with Sacchun, they met up with Meg.

"Oh, hey guys! I've been looking for you." she said. She was eating a dumpling.

"Hey Meg. What'd you bring?" Lloyd asked conversationally.

"Some Carrot cake and some carrots." she said. Lloyd began to fill her in on everything she had missed out on, and Joe went off to catch up with Sacchun. Soon however, the crowd's conversation turned to murmuring as Gotz and Zack, the caretaker and Phys. Ed. teacher of the school both came in, pushing a huge, old fashioned copper pot into the middle of the square. Everyone admired it, as it was part of their culture's tradition.

Sasha, Karen's mom, brought a small ladder and set it up in front of the pot so that people could climb up and throw their stuff in. There was already a lot of boiling water and vegetable broth in it, and Gotz set a fire under the pot to allow it to simmer. Everyone watched, and Sasha got on top of the ladder so she could see everyone in the crowd.

"Welcome!" She shouted out to the crowd. "Welcome to the Harvest Festival! This festival has been continuing for generations, even when our bustling town was a small rural village, and even today we keep the tradition alive with our Autumn Harvest Pot!" she announced. Everyone clapped.

"Now one by one, I want you to form a single file line and put what you brought into the pot." she said, climbing down from the ladder and standing beside it. Everyone cheered and formed a line. It was a very long line, but Lloyd and Meg managed to get okay places. One by one villagers would climb up the ladder, throw in their ingredient, and climb down. Everyone continued to chatter while they waited in line. Lloyd looked ahead - Gwen was going up now, and he saw her throw in a Potato. Then, it was Karen's turn. There was a small commotion while her mom yelled at her for bringing a bad ingredient, and a few minutes later they saw Karen walking out of the line looking extremely agitated, and Gwen with a smug, satisfied smile on her face.

Lloyd's turn came, and he threw in his Yam. Meg threw in a carrot and they left the line and walked back to see if they could find Joe and Sacchun. They watched as they threw their ingredients in, and then joined them at the long table. They grabbed some food, and noticed that Karen's dish stood alone and untouched. They met Manna at the table and she seemed delighted to see them there. She went into a long story about one of her adventures as a kid at the Harvest Festival, and they were all very thankful when her husband, Duke pulled her away to the Sake stand.

So they ate, socialized, and had a lot of fun for about an hour, when the hot pot was ready.

"Okay everyone! Come get your helping!" Sasha called out, and everyone got into line again. There was more than enough stew for everyone. Many bowls had been stacked on a table next to the pot, and Sasha and some volunteers were handing out bowls of stew. They saw some other familiar faces - Ann, Ellen, and Mary were all standing together in line, and a little ahead, standing all by her lonesome was Dia. Kurt was standing with Gwen, Eve and Ray, an athletic soccer player who was intensely passionate about winning at sports. He had a toned body and shoulder length brown hair tied into a small ponytail. His arm was on Eve's back, and in a few moments they had seen them exchange a smell peck, which lead them to believe that they were probably going out. It wasn't that surprising though, because Eve went out with jocks like him all the time.

Lloyd, Meg, Joe, and Sacchun all got their bowls and went to eat at a table. Ellen, Ann, Mary, Kurt and Gwen had joined them, and Eve and Ray had gone off somewhere, presumably making out. The whole group had a really fun time eating and sharing and laughing together, and it seemed that afternoon, as the sun began to set, that everyone was satisfied and filled up. Dia had left early, as Lloyd had noticed, and soon, as stars began to dot the sky, people began leaving. Lloyd went to the pot and asked Sasha to scrape out some left overs he could give to the dogs. She did so happily, and Lloyd covered them in Saran wrap and gave one bowl to Meg and Sacchun.

"Thanks Lloydie" Meg said happily.

"Mmmm... I want moooore..." Sacchun said sadly.

"But Sacchun, you had like, three helpings.." Joe told her.

"Yes but I'm still hungry!" she whined.

"You must have a great metabolism to be able to eat so much and not gain a pound." Ann said enviously.

"Ahahaha! Ninja apprentices must have full meals." Sacchun said, trying to act wise.

"Speaking of which, who's up for some Uber Ninja Quest II madness back at our place?" Joe said happily.

"But... Joe, we have school tomorrow..." Lloyd reminded him.

"So? Last one there has to eat the rest of Karen's food!" he yelled, already running off. Needless to say, they all ran after him and ended up playing video games for most of the night, and payed for it dearly the next morning.


	10. Rivals in Tune

**// Author's Note: **Well, there's a bit more Dia in this chapter! I realise she's... ah, "different" in this fanfiction, but that's because I basically molded her into my own variation of Dia. She will become more like her real self later on in the story though, so worry not :)

Thanks for all the reviews, you guys are awesome! XD **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 10 - Rivals in Tune

The first part of the week had passed rather uneventfully - aside from Karen and Gwen avoiding each other, Dia keeping to herself more than usual, Mary zooming through book after book, and Joe repeatedly getting detentions for various reasons that are too long to list here - but these had all become part of the norm. Early Thursday morning, Sacchun was woken up earlier than she would've liked by a high pitch sound that was unfamiliar to her. She sat up, and heard her dog whine, while scratching at the door, wanting to be let out. They hated high pitched sounds. As Sacchun approached the door, she realised it sounded like an instrument. She opened the door, and saw Meg, a clip in her hair to keep her hair out of her face, holding a violin while reading sheet music off a stand.

"Haw, Meg! Whatchu doin' this early in the morning?" Sacchun asked, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm practicing, silly! Didn't you hear on the announcements yesterday? They're bringing back the music program to Flowerbud High... We're getting a new music teacher today!" Meg said excitedly. Meg had been playing Violin since she was young, among other things, though she hadn't played it for a good couple of years, and had gotten slightly rusty.

"Yer gunna wake up all the neighbours..." Sacchun yawned. Meg ignored her and kept playing. Since she was up already, Sacchun decided to fix herself some tea and sit and listen to Meg play, while watching the weather channel on mute.

"Y'know, even though we've been living together for a while I haven't heard you play your violin that much." Sacchun remarked, while sipping her tea.

"Oh, well back when I would take private violin lessons, I would practice there and at school, but after my teacher moved away, I kind of dropped it... I figured this would be a good chance to get back into it!" Meg said enthusiastically.

"Gosh, Is it really worth it if you have to wake up this early every morning?" Sacchun yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"Hm... I just wanted a bit of extra practice... To familiarize myself with the instrument again before today's class." Meg said. She removed the clip from her hair, stuck it on her stand and helped herself to a cup of tea. After a bit, the two of them got ready and went to get changed. They ate a light breakfast, switched off the TV, and Meg put her violin in its case and swung it over her shoulder.

"I'll be right out, Sacchun." Meg said, walking into the bathroom and closing her door.

"'Kay." Sacchun sat on a stool next to their closet and tied her shoe laces, when a distant sound caught her attention.

It was the faint sound of a violin... She got up and put her ear against the bathroom. No violin there. She went back and opened the door to the corridor and stepped out - the violin sound was stronger. She was about to try and find the source of the sound, when she heard Meg open the bathroom door and come out.

"Wait up, Sacchun!" she said, running out into the corridor and locking the door.

"...Okay Meg! Let's go" Sacchun said, wondering who the mysterious violinist was...

The bell rung, signaling the start of the day and the start of first period. Lloyd and Joe met up with Meg and Sacchun, and the four of them went into class. They talked for a bit, then seperated and went to their assigned seats, which were in alphabetical order. Meg and Sacchun were fairly close to each other in the back, and Lloyd, Joe, Kurt, and (unfortunately) Dia were all nearer to the front. Principal Theodore's daughter, Mia was also in this class, as were Eve and Ray. Mr. Brassen, Ann's dad and their math teacher, entered the room and instructed them to all open their textbooks. They did so tiredly, not one of them in the mood to pay attention to Mr. Brassen's math lesson.

And so it droned on, and on. They all sat there, occasionally copying down numbers, formulas, and math problems lazily.

"...and if you factor out the _y, _you should be left with..."

"This. is. so. boring!" Eve hissed to Ray. Everyone heard her, but not Mr. Brassen. Sacchun was acctually asleep on her desk.

In the middle of a lengthy explanation, the P.A. suddenly crackled and they heard the voice of the school secretary flow into the room.

"As we announced yesterday, there will be a change in schedule for the students who will be taking part in the Music course for the year. Will the following please come down to the main office to have your schedules modified..." and she listed several names, including Lloyd's, Meg's, Dia's, Karen's, Gwen's, Mia's, Mary's, Rick's, and many others.

Their was a sound of chairs scraping against the floor as they got up and left the math class with no hesitation, Sacchun still sleeping soundly on her desk.

"Oh gawd... that was soo boring." Meg said as they got outside. Lloyd stretched.

"What do you expect? It's _math._"

"So what instrument are you picking?" Meg asked.

"Probably something simple. Like, Trumpet or something that doesn't require hours of practicing. You? Violin?" he replied

"Yep, how'd you know?" Meg said excitedly.

"...You kidding? Almost everyone heard you playing this morning!" Lloyd laughed.

"Oh _crap! _I'm sorry! I didn't mean to wake everyone up." she said, embarassed.

"It's alright... Joe can sleep through anything, and I was already up from walking the dog anyway."  
"Speaking of which, did you think of a name for him yet?" Meg asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah! We named him Ringo." Lloyd said happily.

"Ours is named Momo. It was Sacchun's idea..." Meg said - not that it needed explanation. They arrived at the main office and met with the secretary, Gina. Her grandmother, Ms. Halls worked as the school nurse with Alex, but since they both couldn't be Ms. Halls and because Gina was probably the youngest member of the Staff, everyone just called her Gina.

They met up with other students who were called down and got their schedules modified, and by the time the whole modification was finished, the bell had rung and first period was over.

"Oooh, so we already have music second period." Meg said, examining her new schedule.

"I'm happy we missed the rest of Math!" Lloyd said truthfully.

"Hi guys!" said Karen, catching up with them. A bunch of her friends, including Popuri followed not far behind.

"Hey Karen. What are you doing for music?" Meg asked.

"Oh, vocal choir. I've been taking private singing lessons for a while, after all." Karen said proudly.

"Karen's _such _a good singer." Popuri said proudly. The other girls agreed.

"Ugh, _you're _in vocal choir also?" said a voice behind them. They all turned around to see Gwen and her own posse.

"Please, spare us the pain." Eve said at Gwen's side.

"_Gwen._" Karen said, glaring.

"_Karen._" Gwen said coldly. They had a traditional staredown, as per usual, with imaginary electricity crackling between them.

"Uh, guys?" Meg started, "Before this becomes another clash of the cliques, can we save it for once we acctually get to class?" she suggested. Without a word, they continued on to the music room.

They all entered the room, and took a seat. Each chair had a stand in front of it, and there was a seperate room with a sign on it which said "_INSTRUMENT INVENTORY_" where they kept all the school's instruments. Meg had her own violin in her case, and took a seat near the front. Lloyd ended up sitting with her, and Karen and her group were on one side, where Gwen and hers were on the other. Kurt entered and sat behind Lloyd, and Mia and Mary both sat near the back. Rick sat with Mary. Two girls, one red-haired and very tomboyish, Amber Starre, and one with short brown hair and had an interest in nursing, Erica Shields entered, chatting cheerfully away. They had been best friends all through High school, and were rarely seen without the other. Dia was last to enter, and took a seat near the back of the class. She too, had a black case that looked suspiciously like it held a violin.

Once the class had assembled, their teacher came in, accompanied by Principal Theodore. Their new teacher was a short old woman, with elaborate, big gray hair that almost looked like a wig. She had fancy glasses, a blue skirt, white vest and trendy scarf, and a strange umbrella with a brass bird-head as the handle that she seemed to use as a cane. She also had many rings and necklaces.

"Good afternoon class..." Theodore said absently, even though it was only second period. "I'd like you to meet your new teacher, Mrs. Romana Melodia, coming all the way from southern Forget-Me-Not."

"Good morning class!" she squawked. She walked in quick paces, her feet only taking small steps. She walked to the desk at the front of the class and wrote her name neatly in cursive on the blackboard.

"I am glad to see you are all interested in the field of music... So let's see what you can do. Anyone?" Romana asked.

"I play violin." Meg said.

"Raise your hand, dearie." Romana said sternly. Meg raised her hand.

"Yes, dear?"

"I play violin." Meg said.

"Yes, you already told us."

"I know, but you told me to raise my hand."

"I meant next time, dear."

"Okay." Meg looked at Lloyd and giggled.

"Very well. Anyone else?" Romana asked, looking around the room.

"Well, I'm the best vocal singer in the school." Karen said proudly.

"Raise your hand, miss." Romana said sternly again. Gwen raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"_I'm _the best vocal singer in the school." Gwen said proudly.

"...We'll have to have a singing competition someday!" Romana said happily. Gwen and Karen stared daggers at each other.

"Great, another reason for them to hate each other." Meg said sarcastically under her breath. As the class continued, Romana had assigned the other students who did not play anything an instrument. Lloyd ended up with Trumpet by request, and Kurt took drums. Amber and Erica, who both played flute when they were younger in elementary school, both took the flute. Mia played the organ and the piano, and Mary who wanted to learn became Mia's pupil. Rick took the trombone. Next, Romana redid the seating so that the band players were on one side of the room, and the orchestra was on the other. Meg looked surprise when her assigned stand partner was Dia.

"Now then! Let's see what the orchestra can do." Romana said, walking over to the orchestra's side. Meg glanced at Dia uncomfourtably. Dia simply said nothing and stared at her string.

"Please now, a D Major scale." Romana said. Meg raised her instrument, as did the rest of the orchestra, and they played a slightly shaky D Major scale. After that, they put their instruments down.

"..You were a bit out of tune on your C#, by the way." Meg whispered to Dia.

"...Thanks." she said coldly, not even glancing at Meg. They played another D Major scale. Meg leaned in once again to whisper to Dia.

"Your bow strokes were kind of crooked coming down..." she whispered. Dia turned to her irritably.

"I think I can correct my own mistakes, okay? I'm not like you, who needs everything hand fed to her before she can finally absorb it." she said quickly so that Meg was the only one who heard.

"Ex_cuse _me? I was just trying to be helpful!" Meg said - which was not true at all.

"Well you're _failing_ at being helpful. So stop." Dia said, frustrated.

"Hmph."

"Now girls, quit with the chatter, we have much to cover." Romana said, tapping her umbrella-cane on the floor twice.

They played some easy pieces with the band so they can all warm up, and Romana spent a lot of time instructing the new musicians on how to play their instruments. She was currently having a lengthy talk with Mary and Mia about her own grand daughter who played the piano.

"You know, on that last piece you got lost in measure six..." Meg pointed out to Dia. She wasn't sure why she continued to do this, perhaps it gave her some slight pleasure to know she could bug Dia so easily.

"I know." Dia said through gritted teeth.

"Maybe you need more practice." Meg thought aloud.

"Maybe you should _shut up._" Dia said, once again through gritted teeth. Kurt was looking worriedly at the expression on Dia's face, even though he was sitting at the back of the class behind the drum set.

"Are you sure your violin is tuned?" Meg asked her mockingly.

"Are you sure _yours _is?" she said, and quickly grabbed one of the tuning pegs on Meg's violin and twisted it so far that Meg's E-string snapped.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Meg yelled - or rather, whispered very loudly.

"What the hell is _yours?!_" Dia retorted.

"Girls! Enough!" Romana walked back to the front of the class. "Dia, please play number sixteen in your _Easy Solos _book." Romana said sternly. Dia flipped to page sixteen and played the piece perfectly, earning her a bonus mark from Romana and an icy glare from Meg.

"Now you, Meg."

"But miss! I can't! My E string is broken." she said, holding up her violin.

"Now how did that happen?"

"Because Dia --" Meg was cut off.

"I was simply helping her tune her violin and the string snapped. It obviously wasn't strong enough." Dia said calmly.

"Hmm, I shall have it replaced. Meghan, please practice number sixteen for next time, as I hope to hear it flawlessly from someone who has played the violin for as long as you have." Romana told her. Meg stared icily at Dia and nodded.

The bell rang and Meg was the first out of her seat and through the door. Lloyd and Kurt quickly followed her out and caught up with her.

"You okay, Meg?" Kurt asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, a fiery glint in her eyes.

"She thinks she can out-violin me? This means _war._"


	11. Love & Hate

**// Author's Note: **Yay! Firstly I'd like to mention that I acctually got twenty reviews.. I didn't expect that! XD Thanks to everyone who's reviewed regularly, and I hope you enjoy Harvest High! and continue to enjoy it :)

Anyway, this chapter is kind of odd, since It's going to be related to Shakespeare's play, Romeo & Juliet. Now, contrary to popular belief, I didn't acctually choose this play because it's Shakespeare's most well known, I chose it because my English class was acctually reading this while I was writing this chapter. Since most people don't know most of the Romeo & Juliet basics, I will have some included, but it's not like the play will acctually be _presented _in the book. Just some of the more well-known scene (like the Balcony scene!) and some others. Anyway, you'll be able to get by without having acctually read the play ; Well, enjoy! (Shakespeare is my homie!) **End Author's Note // **

Chapter 11 - Love & Hate

Autumn had now seemed to permanently settle into the school and its surroundings. Within the high school itself, many Halloween decorations had been put up and everyone seemed to be getting more and more into the Halloween spirit as the days went by. The trees were slowly growing more and more bare, and the leaves had been scattered all over town. With the colder weather came warmer meals from the Lunch Dome staff - rich soups and stews were being sold at lunch times now, and a lot of people seemed to enjoy them. The dogs did not like the cold, but still seemed to find some enjoyment in jumping around in the puddles and getting all muddy. They seemed to be getting a lot of rain this autumn. Lloyd remembered vividly having to rescue Ringo from falling into a puddle and getting all muddy while trying to chase a frog just a few days ago. Dia seemed to keep to herself as well, though they occasionally heard her practice her violin faintly in the distance - an almost eerie sound. Needless to say, Meg had been fiddling up a storm every evening in their apartment building with her violin. She spent a lot of time practicing, that they weren't even surprised anymore when they heard her playing. Sacchun had become used to watching the TV on mute with captions, or to just visiting the boys and watching their TV. Meg's determination was stunning.

"Well, It's good that Dia's given her motivation." Lloyd remarked, as he, Joe, Sacchun, and Kurt were all watching TV with Ringo one day after school. They heard faint muffled violin sounds coming from the floor above them.

"Err.. yeah. A bit too much motivation, if you ask me." Sacchun said, chuckling apprehensively. "I keep thinking that violin's going to burst into flames because she plays it with such ferocity..."

Romana had not helped the situation at all. Whenever one of them would play something incorrectly, she would force the other to play it correctly to prove as an example. This made their rivalry even more intense. Meg seemed to have a strong passion in showing Dia she was better, which was very unlike Meg in itself. There was something else bothering Meg that the others just couldn't seem to pinpoint...

The next day, english class had begun as usual. Manna arrived right before the bell, and everyone was in their seats. Manna took out a binder from her bag and flipped through it rapidly. For once, she seemed to acctually want to get the point. A rare event, indeed. Joe and Lloyd exchanged looks of great surprise as she flipped through her binder searching for a page, without saying a word to any of them. Half the class hadn't even realised that Manna had entered the room.

"Today," she said excitedly, beaming at all of them. They all looked up at her. "We are starting Romeo & Juliet!" she said, expecting everyone to gasp or exchange looks of excitement. Indeed, Rick and Mary did exchange looks of excitement, though besides Karen and Gwen's glare of fierce rivalry ever present, no one else seemed to react much.

"Uh... yay?" Joe offered blandly.

"Yes! This is deffinitely yay! You should all be yay-ing!" Manna said enthusiastically.

"In fact, I remember back in the day, when _my _grade 9 english teacher first told me we were doing Romeo and Juliet..." and she launched into another story, that granted the class a good five minutes of rest while she continued on and on.

"...So anyway, point being, she never parked her car in the principal's parking spot again." Manna concluded after a whole six and a half minutes - she had completely diverted from the topic at hand.

"Anyway! We musn't waste time." she said, getting up from her chair and pulling out several copies of Romeo & Juliet from underneath her desk. She took them and distributed them among the class.

"Now, the fun part about reading Shakespeare," Manna started as she went back to her desk. "Is that we're going to _act _it out in class, not just read it. Meaning you'll all be assigned roles, unless you don't want a role." The fierce glare between Karen and Gwen seemed to intensify.

"Oooh, are we presenting it in front of the school?" Sacchun asked.

"No, Sacchun, this is just for in-class roleplaying." Manna replied.

"Oooh, were there Ninjas in Shakespeare's time?" Sacchun asked again.

"...No Sacchun, there were no Ninjas." Manna replied dryly.

"Oooh, was Romeo a player?" Sacchun asked again.

"...In a way, but I don't they referred to them as 'players' back then. Are you done Sacchun?" Manna replied impatiently.

"Yes ma'am."

"Good, we need to start choosing roles. So, any volunteers?" Manna said, beaming around at the class. No one raised their hands.

"Okay, let's do it this way. If you _don't _want a part, stay seated. If you do want a part, stand up." In an instant, Karen and Gwen jumped to their feet. Sacchun did too, half-heartedly. Everyone else remained seated.

"...Oh Come on guys! We need more people than this!" Manna said anxiously.

"Very well... I will assign roles." she said, grabbing the class roster.

"Lloyd... you get to be Lord Montague, or also known as Romeo's father." she said.

"Okay..." Lloyd said uncertainly.

"Well, It is an important part! I mean, you're the father of one of the main characters!" Manna said, trying to get him into his role.

"...Right." Lloyd said, eyebrows raised.

She continued to read out names...

"Sacchun, you will be Juliet's Nurse."

"Is she a--"

"_No, Sacchun, she is not a ninja nurse!"_ Manna continued. "Mary, the narrator. Rick, you will be Lord Capulet. Joe ... you will be ... hmmm..." Manna thought a while about this. "...You can be all the minor characters."

"Sweet!" exclaimed Joe, leaning back in his chair in a relaxed posture. Manna raised her eyebrows in surprise, but decided not to say something.

"Now, for the role of Paris... Hmm... I know just the person, but that shall wait for next class. Anyway, for Romeo, how about we have Kurt?" she said enthusiastically. Kurt was taken aback, but accepted all the same.

"Now, for the role of Juliet..." Manna started. Gwen and Karen were both on the their feet, waiting for her to announce who would get the role of the lead heroine in the play. Gwen's fists were clinched, and Karen's hair was on end. Manna looked around, and her eyes fell on the most unexpected person one would expect.

"...Juliet will be Dia!" she said excitedly. She was hoping that this way, not only would Dia feel more welcome in the class, that she would open up and participate a bit more. Dia stared at her. For a split second, she had an '_You must be CRAZY'_ look on her face, but the moment later, it had switched back to its indifferent stare. Dia coughed. Every eye was on her. If there was one thing that could be read from Dia's facial expression, it was that she was loathing Manna with every passing second. Kurt, however, was feeling slightly torn. He hated Dia for her attitude and her bad habit for smoking, and for how she seemed extremely cold to him and his friends. However, he felt odd knowing that he was now going to be Romeo, and she Juliet, the two most famous starcross'd lovers of history. He spent a few moments immersed in thought about this, and no one payed much attention to him. Dia didn't say anything at all - not a trace of surprise, apprehension, or _anything_ seemed to appear on her face. Manna began to explain to them the basics of the play, the fact that it was a dark romance that took place in Verona, Italy.

"Now, It may seem very long, but the whole play only takes place over the course of five days. In five days, Romeo and Juliet meet, fall in love, get married, and die. Which reminds me, there was this one time, when I was speaking to the mayor and he told me about his daughter and ..." Manna trailed off again. Another fifteen minutes passed as she talked to herself. Just as they were all about to lose conciousness and slump onto their desks, asleep, the bell rang.

"Oh my, seems I got carried away again. I just can't stop myself sometimes...Well, Class dismissed! Okay, be sure to bring your books back to my desk and we shall begin the play next class." Manna said to the class as they got up. They put their books on her desk lazily.

"Uh, miss?" Gwen asked.

"What about _us?!" _Karen demanded. The two of them stood in the same place they had since they had gotten to their feet.

"Oh! Yes, I forgot. Gwen... You will be Lady Capulet, and you, Karen, will be Lady Montague." Manna said, before briskly walking off.

"What?! I have to play some old woman?!" Karen shrieked.

"Well I can understand _that, _but why do _I _have to suffer the same fate?!" Gwen cried.

"Oh well. The Montagues are _totally _better than the Capulets." Karen said, sticking out her tongue.

"Hah, you wish. The Capulets are so much better." Gwen said, glaring.

"This isn't over!" Karen yelled and left the room. Gwen stood there, packing up her stuff, and then she was about to leave the class when she stopped at the door way.

She felt a cold chill run down her spine suddenly, and her eyes widened.

"I..." she stuttered.

A few minutes of silence passed, with only the sounds of the students in the hallways preparing for their next class. Suddenly, Gwen shrieked.

"...I'm married to _RICK?! EWWWWWWWWWWW!" _


	12. Haunted High : Part 1

**// Author's Note: **Hopefully you'll be reading this in time, but the next two chapters will be Halloween related This is kind of like the Harvest Festival story arc, where Part 1 is leading up to the main event. Anyway, enjoy, and have a Happy Halloween everyone!!

Also, if you're interested, Singkatsu is also posting her Hallowe'en oneshot featuring the "kids" of Forget-Me-Not Valley (Kate, Hugh, and her own son). Should be lots of fun, so I suggest you read it when it comes out! **End of Author's Note // **

Chapter 12 - Haunted High Part 1

"...and don't forget! Tomorrow night, we're holding the Haunted High event in the school at nine o'clock. Be sure to come for a night of fright and fun!" Gina concluded on the morning announcements. They sat in homeroom, the day before Halloween.

"Ehhh? That sounds really fun!" Sacchun exclaimed.

"Yeah, they've been working on this stuff for a while. It's going to be like a huge scary maze in the school, and all the lights will be turned off except for at some parts." Meg said excitedly. "In fact, I'm surprised you hadn't heard about it. Everyone's been talking about it."

"I'm surprised _you _heard of it, I'd figured by now that violin sound would be permanently ringing in your ears..."

"Wow, they're really going all out this year." Lloyd remarked.

"Looks like it! But I can't wait! We're going, right? right?!" Sacchun said excitedly, her eyes gleaming.

"Well, It's better than doing nothing. I just hope it isn't just some lame pranks that aren't even _mildly _scary." Joe said.

"Oh come on, you heard how much they've worked on this. It'll be great!" Meg said enthusiastically.

"But... Meg..." Joe started, "Aren't you ... y'know. Afraid of ghosts?" he asked her, his eyebrows raised. She let out an unusual shrill laugh.

"Me? Haha... afraid of g-ghosts? Where do you get these things Joe?" she said, trying to make it seem like a big joke. She continued to laugh.

"If you say so!" Joe shrugged.

"Ooooh. I'm soo excited." Sacchun said, barely able to contain her excitement. They spent a good few minutes discussing the whole event and their plans for it, before Mr. Brassen acctually came in. However, the moment he entered, the P.A. suddenly crackled again and Gina's voice came back on.

"...Oh, and before I forget, tomorrow will only be a half-day so we can prepare for the event! Have a good day!" the P.A. crackled again and fell silent. The entire class cheered.

"Whoohoo! This is gonna be the _best _Halloween ever!" Sacchun said. Dia was the only one not particularly happy about this - but then again, she never showed any sign of happiness about _anything_.

"I wonder if Kurt is going to go as well..." Meg thought aloud.

"It's okay Meg, if you get scared you can grab onto me. I don't mind." Joe said, trying to act macho. Meg punched him playfully.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say!" she laughed. The truth was, it wasn't _him _who she wanted to grab on to...

"Anyway, class, let's get back to today's lesson." Mr. Brassen said from the front of the class. They all groaned and pulled out their math books, and then got to the lesson.

They were walking home from school, stepping on all the soggy wet leaves that were on the ground due to the heavy rain they had had the passed few days. The town deffinitely gave off a strong autumn-vibe now, and the colours of the trees were even more appreciated because the sky was so grey and gloomy. The four of them were talking home when they met up with Kurt, who was walking with Mia.

"Hello Mia!" Sacchun greeted.

"Oh, hello." she said, in her lady-like tone, turning around to greet them. Mia had long blue hair that fell past her shoulders. She always kept it out of her face with a hairband, and usually wore long skirts with stockings - it was just her style.

"Hi there." Kurt said to them.

"Sooo... planning on participating in this year's Halloween event?" Meg asked them hopefully.

"Oh heavens, no. I'm easily frightened by such things, I wouldn't last very long inside a Haunted High." Mia said, shaking her head with regret.

"Well we're totally going!" Sacchun said excitedly.

"Oh, maybe I'll go if you guys are." Kurt said. Meg's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, you should! It'd be so fun!"

"But ... Meg..." Kurt started, "Aren't you, well... afraid of ghosts?" He asked her suspiciously. She let out another shrilly laugh.

"Ahahahha! I don't know _where _you got that idea!" she said, waving to them and walking off ahead of them. Kurt scratched his head.

"Right..."

"Anyway, I wonder what kind of stuff they'll have in the school..." Joe thought aloud.

"Maybe they'll release live Minotaurs to roam the halls!" Lloyd joked.

"Yeah!! Then I'll have to save the day with my awesome ninja skills." Sacchun said, making cool ninja poses. Mia laughed. She herself was not a comedic person, but she was easily entertained by jokes. She also got along with Mary, since she frequented the library and Mia was the librarian.

"That would be... ah, interesting." Mia said, smilling.

"Well you should come, Mia... It's good to face your fears." Joe said.

"Perhaps but... maybe this is too soon..." Mia muttered to herself, not at all wanting to visit the school after hours - she had already had to enough with her librarian duties, and she was not going to stay there when it was pitch black inside and there were tons of traps lying around.

"Well, I'd best be off now. Enjoy yourselves tomorrow night!" Mia said, waving and running off around the corner towards her house. Once they saw her blue hair swing out of sight, they continued on towards the student buildings.

They decided to go hang out at the girls' room, and so they did. They usually hung out right after school, and proceeded to do their own things later on. Upon arrival, Sacchun made them a pot of tea and they had some. Meg even made them a few sandwiches to eat as an after-school snack, and they sat on the couch together. Momo was sleeping by the balcony door. While they were watching the news, they saw that Flowerbud High was acctually being featured on it.

"...a High School which is going above and beyond for Halloween this year." the reporter had just finished saying.

"Ooooh, keep this channel on." Meg said in interest. A view of Flowerbud High appeared on the screen, obviously taken from another day, as it was very sunny in the picture.

"The school, run by principal Theodore Wallace is having an exciting event and competition inside the school on Halloween night, restricted to students only." The reporter said. After a small pause, clips of the hallways and the inner parts of the school were shown.

"As of tomorrow night, the school will be plunged in darkness, covered in decorations and even some traps, and there will be lots of scary things waiting to pop out." The reporter said. "It's been organized by the student council, the staff, and of course, the ever-devoted principal. All admission fees will be used as donations to organizations to help the schooling of children living in unfortunate circumstances, so not only will this event be very fun, but very beneficial for them as well."

The reporter was then standing next to Theodore at the entrance of the school.

"So Mr. Wallace, could you clue us in on what kind of preparations you have in store for the school's 'Haunted High' event?" the reporter asked him, holding the microphone to his mouth. Theodore took the microphone right out of the reporter's hand, and she looked taken aback.

"Eh...? My Highschool isn't _haunted_, you crazy hippie!"

"No, Sir, the Haunted High event that you're holding tomorrow night for Halloween..." she said, taking the microphone back.

"Oh! Yes, that old thing. Well, I was drunk in Vegas one night and..."

"Uhhh..."

"No interruptions! Where was I? ... Oh yes. Waffles. Why do I love them? Well, because they soak up syrup like no other breakfast food ... and of course, did you know that back in the ancient days, they used giant waffles to drain up moats so they could charge into the castles of the enemies? Ingenious, I say, truly ingenious..."

"...Thankyou, sir. That was... very enlightening. This has been Rosanne Del-Torto, for KN News." The reporter signed off and it cut to commercial break.

"Wow, if it's even on the news, It must be pretty big." Lloyd said.

"Now I can't wait! I really wanna gooo!" Sacchun whined.

"Thank the goddess tomorrow's only a half day." Joe said.

"Which means we can get all our homework done before the event." Lloyd said.

"Psh, screw that, it just means more Smash Bros and Ninja Quest time for me." Joe said happily.

"Ah, of course. I should've known." Lloyd rolled his eyes. Sacchun laughed.

"Anyway guys, I better get some violin practice in before I get to my homework." Meg said, hinting at them to leave.

"Mmmk, Meg, we'll get out of your way." Lloyd said, getting up and stretching.

"Awww... can I come with you guys?"

"Sorry Sacchun, we need to get our costumes ready for the Haunted High event." Lloyd told her.

"Oooh yeah, what are you going to be?" Sacchun said, excited again over the idea of costumes.

"Nothing special. Just... a vampire! _BOO!" _Lloyd said loudly. Meg let out a high pitch scream.

"W-W-WHERE?!" she shouted, nearly dropping her violin case. They all turned around to look at her. She was almost shaking. Joe and Sacchun laughed openly, and even Lloyd found it hard to imagine such a feeble joke had scared Meg.

"Hahahaha... Wow Meg, looks like tomorrow night's going to be _fun..._" Joe teased.

"Oh be quiet.. I am not afraid of ghosts!" she said, more to herself than to anyone.

"That remains to be seen." Joe said.

"Fine! I'll show you... I'll show you tomorrow night. I'll be _fine._" she said, regaining her balance.

"Anyway, what are you going to be, Joe?" Sacchun asked.

"Heheh. I've got the best costume. But that's a secret." Joe winked. "And you?"

Sacchun just shook her head. "Nuh-uh. Mine's a secret too. You'll just have to wait until tomorrow night, okay?" Sacchun said, and she lead them to the door. They said good-bye and left.

"Heheh. Tomorrow's looking to be quite the fun night." Lloyd said, closing the door behind him.

"I agree... It should be... hmm. Interesting." Joe said, grinning.

They entered their room, and Lloyd went to pet Ringo on the head before dropping his stuff off on the couch. Joe did the same.

"Anyway, let's get to work on _our _costumes." Lloyd said.

"Yes... good idea." Joe said, thinking for a bit. "I think I know what I need." he went to look through one of their closets, pulled out an old sheet and bathrobe, both dark maroon. He got some other materials before finally saying, "I think I know what to do. Anyway, I'll be working on my costume. Knock if you need me!" he said, dissappearing into his room without another word. Lloyd found it odd that the first thing Joe did upon getting home was get straight to work on his costume.

"Huh..." Lloyd said, eyebrows raised. He went to his own room to get the materials for his own costume out and started to work on it. _He was right, though, _Lloyd thought as he worked. _Tomorrow was deffinitely going to be interesting. _


	13. Haunted High : Part 2

**// Author's Note: **I'm sorry! I'm so very sorry for the latenss of this chapter. I hope the extra length will make up for it - this is my longest chapter yet! Anyway, I know some parts of this chapter may seem unrealistic or full-out ridiculous, but cut me some slack ; It's hard to write a good Halloween chapter without being silly and crossing some boundaries of reality. So just enjoy it, remember it's all about the fun, and a Happy belated Hallowe'en!

And just another reminder, If you're in the mood for more Halloween fun, read _A Haunted Night_, by Singkatsu - it's tons of kid-sized fun. **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 13: Haunted High Part 2

The next day, the morning seemed to go by extremely quickly. The bell that usually rang for lunch now signaled the end of the day, and everyone got up from their classes to go gather their stuff and go home. The hallways were filled with excited chatter and talk of plans, pranks, and other Halloween-related fun. Most of the people in the school, however, seemed to be talking about that night's event - the Haunted High. The whole atmosphere of the school could be summed up as one sentiment - excitement. Everyone rushed home to prepare as soon as the bell rang.

"Yaaay! It's the end of half the day!" Sacchun said excitedly, jumping on Meg as they walked from school. _'They' _being Lloyd, Meg, Sacchun, and Ann. Joe had decided that going to school for half a day was pointless, so he just stayed home.

"I have to admit, I'm pretty psyched about this Haunted High event..." Lloyd said.

"Oh yes, some of my inventions were used for it!" Ann said proudly. Ann was known for being quite the inventor in her spare time - she loved working with tools and metals of all sort.

"Haha, Ann, that just gives us more reason to be afraid." Meg teased. Ann laughed.

"Oh come on! I've gotten better, lately. Trust me, you'll see." Ann said.

"Planning on telling us, Ann? We'd love a heads up..." Lloyd asked hopefully.

"Pffft, no! It's a surprise." She said, smiling.

"So what are your plans for the evening then, Ann?" Meg asked.

"Oh, Amber, Erica, Mary, Rick, Ellen and I are all going trick-or-treating. You never get too old for free candy!" she laughed and winked.

"Haha, indeed." Meg said, smiling.

They all left to go back to their houses and to prepare for the upcoming night of fun and fright. Once Lloyd got home, he saw that Joe had put out a hand-carved Jack-O-Latern in front of their house, and had even put some black and orange blinking lights on their balcony.

"Hey Joe!" Lloyd called into the house as he entered.

"Happy Hallowe'en, bro!" Joe said. Lloyd looked around. He couldn't see Joe, but he heard him as if he was right next to him.

"Uh...?" Lloyd looked around, confused. Suddenly, a huge amount of smoke seemed to appear out of no where, obscuring Lloyd's vision. He coughed and held his arm up to keep the smoke out of his face, but when the smoke cleared... Joe was standing in the middle of the room, wearing a dark maroon Ninja costume, with twin blades strapped to his back.

"Didya like my smoke bomb?" he asked happily. Lloyd stared.

"You know, now I feel stupid that I didn't realise _this _would be your costume." he said, seeing how obvious it was now.

"Haha, I bet you do." Joe laughed and walked off, just as the kettle started boiling. He poured some water into a plastic bowl that was filled with instant ramen.

"Want some?" Joe asked.

"Sure." Lloyd responded. Joe reached for another plastic ramen bowl and filled it up with boiling water. They ate their ramen in front of the TV, sitting with Ringo. Night came fairly quickly, and as Lloyd glanced out the glass doors to the balcony, he noticed that many houses were lit up with Halloween colours, or had Jack-O-Lantern's sitting on their front steps. The trees had lost most of their leaves - it was the ideal Halloween landscape outside. Slowly, kids were emerging from their houses dressed in silly costumes - Firemen, Ballerinas, animals of all sort, and other costumed kids were setting off to go trick-or-treating.

"Well, we better get a move on. The Haunted High event will be starting soon." Lloyd said. "I'm going to go get my costume on, just wait for me, okay?" Joe nodded and turned off the TV. He got up to refill Ringo's empty food bowl, and was about to reach for his brush and pet him when he heard a high-pitched scream coming from the floor above.

"What the...?!" Joe left the room, door wide open, and ran as fast as his ninja-legs could carry him up the stairs. He looked around, expecting to see someone down the hallway, but he didn't, so he ran until he saw a door wide open. He saw what looked like a cheerleader in a short skirt with long blonde hair on the floor, trembling. It was Meg.

"_S-S-S-S-SACCHUN!! _You can't sneak up on me like that!!!" she screamed.

"Ah, Meg, you okay...?" Joe asked, approaching her. Meg hadn't seen Joe arrive, and turned around and screamed.

"_JOOOOOE! _What did I just say about sneaking up on me?!" she yelled, smacking him on the head.

"Ouch... I just wanted to know what happened. I heard your scream from downstairs!" he said in his own defense.

"S-Sorry. Sacchun just surprised me with her costume." Meg explained, embarassed.

"Why, what is it?" Joe asked. However, his question was answered in a cloud of smoke. Sacchun walked out, fully clothed as a Ninja in dark navy blue attire. She had a huge ninja star strapped to her arm. Joe glared at her.

"Costume-idea thief." he said crossly.

"You talking to me? It looks like _you're _the thief." Sacchun said darkly. They continued to stare at each other as a wind collected around them.

"I guess that leaves us one option..." Sacchun said, approaching him.

"Indeed. I shall not go down without a fight. Such is the way of the ninja... we must..."

"_BATTLE TO THE DEATH TO DECIDE THE RIGHTFUL OWNER OF THIS COSTUME!" _they both shouted in unison.

"Wh-What?!" Meg yelled apprehensively. Joe and Sacchun burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, just kidding Megzors." Sacchun laughed.

"Man, you really are shaken up easily on Halloween, scaredy-cat." Joe teased, helping Meg up.

"Am not! I'm just...er..." Meg trailed off.

"Uh, Hiya." Lloyd said, behind them, dressed up in his vampire outfit. Meg turned around and screamed.

"_V-V-VAMPIIIIIRE!" _she screeched. They all laughed.

"Joe, I told you to wait for me! You left the door open!" Lloyd scolded him.

"Sorry! It was all Meg's fault!" Joe explained. Sacchun locked the door behind them.

"Anyway - ready to go?" she asked. "Cause I am as ready as I'll ever be. Wheee!" Sacchun said excitedly, running down the hallway. Joe followed. After calming Meg down, she and Lloyd caught up with the two ninjas and they headed off for the school.

The combined darkness of the night and the lack of lights in the school and the Halloween decorations made Flowerbud High seem almost unrecognizable. As the four approached, they saw many other of their fellow students going to buy a ticket and entering, all looking excited. They met up with Kurt there as well, dressed as a zombie with blue and green make up on and cobwebs hanging all around his tattered clothes, and went to the front doors.

"Can't... contain...excitement..." Sacchun said, literally bouncing up and down. The others couldn't help but feel excited, just seeing how much Sacchun was looking forward to this.

"Well, this'll deffinitely be interesting." Lloyd said.

"I wonder if Lyla's acctually going to be here..." Sacchun wondered aloud. Lyla was, apparently, the head of the Student Council, though none of them met her or knew what she was like. Just by her events however, she was known as being creative, organized, and definitely had a lot of power over the school's event planning. They continued along the line until getting to t.0he main doors, where they were greeted by two student council members. One was dressed a witch, the other one dressed as a mummy. They gave them tickets in the form of small paper bracelets often seen at carnivals, which were meant to wrap around your wrist.

"Have fun!" the witch said as they took their tickets. She attempted a cackle but ended up in a coughing fit.

Finally, they were in. The student council and everyone else had done a very, _very _good job considering what little time they had. The same main lobby that they walked through everyday seemed almost unrecognizable now! It was pitch black, except for one blue light from the ceiling that dimly illuminated the room. The lobby's walls were all covered with sheets of black - where they had gotten this many sheets, they had no idea.

"Creepy." Kurt said, looking around the room. Suddenly, the main door closed, a breeze of autumn air rushing in.

"Uhh... Why did tha-they c-close the d-d-door?" Meg asked, frightened.

"There were still people in line!" said Lloyd, incredulously.

"They must be taking a break." Kurt said sensibly. "A small intermission. I'm sure more people will go in after a few minutes." he said. He wasn't all too assured of that, however. The inside was eerily quiet - almost as if all the sound from the outside world was being drained out.

"Okay... now I'm creeped out." Meg said.

"You must be cold, in that short skirt." Kurt remarked. Meg blushed.

"Er... No! Not at all, acctually..."

"That's good. It's a really nice skirt." Kurt said, admiring it. Meg blushed even more, almost to the point where she was glowing.

"Hey, we gonna stand here all day talking about Meg's skirt, or are we going to get a move on, we have exploring to do!" Joe said. They followed him into the next room, where they thought they had met a dead end.

"Uhh..." Lloyd said looking around. His eyes suddenly fell on a stone tablet that was lying on the floor, glowing ominously. He picked it up, and it read:

DRAPED IN BLACK

THE SCHOOL SITS

AWAITING ITS NEXT VICTIMS

ENTER IF YOU WILL,

BUT PROVE YOURSELF TO US

FIND A RIBBON

CRIMSON AS THE RED MOON

AND BRING IT BACK TO US

The last words seemed to be farther down on the tablet, and Lloyd had to kneel closer to the tablet to read them.

IF YOU CAN...

"Awright! A test of courage on Halloween! Let's go find these red ribbons and prove to them we're the most courageous!" Sacchun said confidently. She took a step, and one of the tiles in the floor seemed to sink down, revealing a large door behind the tablet.

"Heh, convenient." Kurt said, walking past Sacchun towards the door. Meg quickly followed. Kurt opened the door to let Meg in, and as she walked into the new room, they heard her scream. They all ran to the door and saw a terrifyingly real sight - Meg was caught in a gigantic spider's web, that seemed to span over a huge bottomless pit, which was as big as the room itself!

"HOW THE HELL DID THEY GET THIS IN HERE?!" Joe yelled.

"EEEEEEEK!" Meg screamed. They all looked to where she was lying and realised what she was screaming about. About a dozen tiny, _real _spiders were all closing in on her.

"This is _awesome!" _Sacchun said excitedly.

"Somebody _HELP!" _Meg yelled.

"Don't worry, Meggy!" Joe said, whipping out his swords.

"Joe, are those _real _swo--" Kurt started, but Joe had alreadly lept into the web with a warcry. He cut the webs, and he, Meg, and the spiders all fell down the pitch black pit. The remaining party stared down at the pit, wondering what was happening.

"This. is. _AWESOME!_" Sacchun repeated. "Last one down's a rotten waffle!" she said, leaping down the huge hole. Lloyd looked at Kurt, and Kurt shrugged. They both jumped down after her.

It wasn't that much of a fall, as they had realised, but they seemed to be in yet another room draped in black with an ominously faint blue light. Lloyd, Kurt, and Sacchun all got to their feet. Walking through the room, they entered another similar room - the walls were draped in black, but this time, the floor sounded metallic as they walked.

"Ah... I get it now." Kurt said. "We must be..."

"In the school's basement!" Sacchun finished for him.

"Exactly. Be careful, the basement is huge from what I've heard, and easy to get lost in. That's why students are never allowed to come down here."

They spotted Joe leaning over a girl. However, the girl lacked the bright blonde hair that belonged to Meg, and they realised that he wasn't at all leaning over Meg. They rushed to see what had happened.

"Are you okay?" Joe asked. They realised who was there - it was Mia.

"Ack... Yes! How did I get myself into this situation..." Mia said, putting a hand to her head as if she had a head ache.

"That's just what I was wondering." Lloyd said. "I thought you hated this scary stuff."

"I do! I was staying late after school to finish some library work when the lights suddenly all went off. I hadn't realised it was time for the event, so I tried leaving the Library, but I got lost in a series of dark rooms with black sheets... and then I fell down here." she said in one breath. "But I'm very glad you all are here! It's... not welcoming being alone in this building during the haunted high event." she said, exhaling at last. She got to her feet and picked up her book.

"Don't worry, we'll help ya out. But Joe, where did Meg go?" Sacchun asked, turning to Joe. Joe gulped.

"When I got down here, I didn't see Meg, but I saw a dark shadowy figure running out of the room..." he said, his bottom lip trembling. They all stared at each other. Mia looked faint. Was this more real than they had expected...?

"No, this must all be part of the event." Kurt said confidently - once again, however, he wasn't completely reassured by his own words.

"We'll have to find her." Lloyd said. They all agreed, and continued on to the next room. It was just like the last.

"They're trying to get us lost, aren't they?" Joe asked rhetorically. They continued on into the next room, which was ominously similar, but with one difference - there was no door.

"Huh? Whoever took Meg had to have come through here. This was the only room we could enter." Joe remarked.

"It must be a secret door." Sacchun said, walking around hoping to find a loose tile again. "Aha!" she said, finding a loose metal tile. However, this one wasn't one that you could step on. Sacchun tried to move it, and it came loose. She picked it up, and underneath was a hollow in the floor with a single red button.

"Should I... press it?" Sacchun asked uncertainly.

"No way. I've seen enough movies or cartoons to know that big red buttons should _not_ be pushed!" Joe warned.

"But It might open a door." Kurt said. He looked at Mia, who looked apprehensive.

"I don't know..." she said.

"Eh, what the heck." Sacchun said, pressing her thumb down on the button. They all stared silently, anxiously. One of the sheets on the wall suddenly ripped through the middle, revealing a door.

"See? Nothing bad could come out of this." Sacchun said, walking over the door.

"As far as you know..." Kurt muttered. Sacchun was about to reach for the door when the sheet, magically, repaired itself.

"What the _f--_" Joe started, but Mia cut him off.

"How odd! The sheet seems to have an internal timing processor, which provides limited time for us to reach the door!" Mia exclaimed. They all stared at her. A minute passed in silence.

"... We have to reach the door before the cloth repairs itself." she said exasperatedly. They all nodded in understanding.

"Ohh! _That's_ what you meant!" Sacchun laughed. Sacchun went back to the switch and pressed it again. They all dashed for the door, but the cloth had repaired itself already.

"Damn! This is hard." Kurt said.

"Wait, I've got an idea. I'll stand by the door, and I'll open it when Sacchun presses the button. Then, while I hold it open, you all run through!" Joe exclaimed.

"That's acctually... very logical. Let's try this." Lloyd said. Joe walked to where the sheet usually split, and Sacchun once again went back to the button. She pressed it, and the sheet opened again. Joe grabbed the door handle, pushed it open, and they all ran for it. However, just as they were approaching it, the sheet closed on Joe's hand, electrocuting him.

"YaAaAaAaAaAaAaH!!!" he yelled.

"Joe!" Lloyd exclaimed, rushing to help him. Joe let go of the door handle and fell backwards on the metal floor.

"You okay?" Sacchun asked, walking over to him.

"Yeah... just... a small shock. I'll be fine." he said faintly.

"Okay, so that plan isn't going to work." Kurt said, examining the sheet. "...but Joe's concept was solid. We just need something to hold the sheet open while we all run into the room. But there's nothing here that can do that..." he said, looking around. His eyes scanned each corner of the room, then fell on Mia.

"Of course! Mia! Your book!" he exclaimed.

"Wh-What? I can't sacrifice a book!" she said, thinking the whole idea was absurd.

"We need it to get to Meg." Kurt said, determined.

"Well... If it's that important, I guess so..." Mia said, looking like her heart was breaking.

"Yeesh, you're even worse than Mary." Joe teased. Mia shot him a glare. So Kurt took Mia's book and held it near the sheet. Sacchun pressed the button, and the sheet ripped open. Kurt jammed it in the rip, and the sheet closed on it, electrifying the book. Pages flew everywhere in a flurry, but they all jumped over it, into the door, and with one last look of grief from Mia, they were in the next room.

This room, however, was probably the creepiest part of the event. The ceiling was high, so high they couldn't see it - it was just pitch black. However, numerous ropes hung from the ceiling, each of them tied around the neck of a human-sized skeleton. Yes, several human skeletons were hanging from the high, high ceiling. They entered cautiously, not daring to make a sound, almost as if the room was so delicate, a single sound would awaken the sleeping corpses. They heard Mia whimper in the background.

"Ooooooh... Spooky..." Sacchun whispered. She ducked underneath one of the skeletons that was closest to the ground. They all did the same, but Joe, ever the ignorant one, didn't realise, and he walked right into it. They all felt a chill down their spine as the bones rattled together. They stood there, frozen in place, expecting something to happen.

"There's the door." Kurt whispered. "Let's just get out of here."

"Yes, please, with haste!" Mia said, sounding worried. Just then, a rush of flight punctured their hearing, and several real live bats from the ceiling had come swooping down on them. They didn't seem to be too harmful, but when you were in a room full of skeletons and were very jumpy, they were enough to cause panic.

"_Eeeeeeeeeek!_" Mia yelled trying to fight off the bats with her arms.

"_Kyaaaa!_" Sacchun used the large ninja star on her arm as a sheild and tried to whack them away. "Back, Back I say!" she yelled.

"Let's try and get to the door!" Kurt yelled over the loud vibrating of the bats' wings. What's worse was that all the bats swarming around them kept knocking into the skeletons, creating an orchestra of flapping wings and rattling bones. They all walked towards the door as quickly as possible, which wasn't very quick because they had to keep fighting off bats. Finally, they managed to get to the next room, shut the door, and breathe.

"Well... that was unexpected." Kurt huffed.

"_What was Theodore thinking?!" _Lloyd exclaimed. "Live bats! _Live bats!_"

"Ehehehe! Are you kidding! This is awesome! Better than a video game!" Joe exclaimed.

"Yeah, totally!" Sacchun said happily. She high-five'd Joe, and they continued on. This room had a large staircase in the middle of it.

"Finally, out of this retarted basement." Lloyd said tiredly.

"Aaah, maybe this is the exit! Finally..." Mia said, a look of relief spreading on her face. "Already?" Sacchun said, disapointed. They climbed the stairs in single file, as they were very narrow. Joe, being the first one to reach the top, hit his head on the ceiling, realising that the stairs lead right into the ceiling.

"Huh?" Joe said, rubbing his head.

"It's a trapdoor!" Mia said, behind him.

"Open it!" Kurt demanded from behind Mia.

"Okay, okay!" Joe said, leaning back , trying to open it without toppling them all over. As he opened it, they all climbed up and entered a dark, yet familiar room. The walls were, once again, draped in black sheets, and the room was dimly lit by an eerie blue light, but the room had rows of tables layed out. Each table had an assortment of vials, chemicals, and odd liquids. They were inside a science class room.

"Well, at least this gives us an idea where in the school we are." Lloyd said. "The Science wing."

"Yes, but please, let us not dwell in here. We must continue on." Mia said, her voice shaking slightly.

"What about Meg? What if she's still in the school's basement somewhere?" Kurt said, sounding concerned.

"I say we search up here first. This is the most obvious path." Joe pointed out. Kurt still seemed worried, and Lloyd started to feel worried also.

"It's okay, we'll find her. It's probably part of the event." Lloyd said, putting a hand on Kurt's shoulder. As they walked through the chemistry lab, they heard many vials bubbling and boiling. They didn't even realise, that in the teacher's seat behind the desk at the front of the class, sat a man in a dark cloak and top hat.

"Not so fast." he said, his voice quite unfamiliar. They all whipped around, frightened. "You're not alone, you know." he said.

"You! You were the one who took Meg, I bet!" Kurt said threateningly.

"Hya! Hand Meg over, and no one gets hurt!" Sacchun said, holding her ninja star menacingly.

"Wh-What?" he said, taken aback. Suddenly his scary tone was gone, and they realised who it was.

"A...Alex?" Sacchun said uncertainly. Alex looked up and took off the top hat, revealing a pearly white opera mask he was wearing. Sacchun blushed.

"Sorry! We just mistook you for someone!" she said, turning her face away.

"What happened to Meg?" he asked.

"She was _kidnapped!_" Mia exclaimed. "You have to help us!"

"Sorry, I'm just supposed to stay at my station to congradulate you all for making it this far." Alex said.

"Oooh, so we're doing well? Are we the first ones to make it here?!" Joe asked excitedly.

"Nope, there were two other groups that are ahead of you. I dare say you'll meet them soon." he said mysteriously. "Anyway, up you go." he said.

"What?"

Alex got on top of the teacher's desk, and pulled a tile from the ceiling. He grabbed a ladder that was lying near his desk and propped it up.

"Up you go." he repeated.

"Why, where does this lead?" Kurt asked incredulously.

"You'll see." Alex said, flashing a smile that almost made Sacchun faint. They all went up the ladder into the hole and emerged at another familiar location.

"What... is this...?" Mia started.

"It's ... We're in the Lunch dome." Lloyd stated. They were indeed in the Lunch Dome, behind the counters where the food was usually sold. The giant glass dome where everyone ate was now pitch black, as if covered by a giant black parachute. The tree in the middle was covered in cobwebs and the tables were no where to be seen. However, there was something that caught there attention. Something that hadn't been in any of the other areas they had visited. There were... people.

"Ha! Me, cheat? Are you kidding?! I made it here fair and square!" yelled the familiar voice of Gwen.

"Fair and square? You _so _followed my team here!" Karen shrieked back.

"That's unlikely! You guys have a horrible sense of direction!" Eve yelled.

"Nuh-uh! Karen's so totally the rightful winner of this event!" Popuri yelled back.

"Hoo boy... even on Halloween they're arguing." Lloyd said.

"Hey guys!" Sacchun greeted, approaching them.

"Sacchun! You're not going to believe this. Karen's team tried to cheat by following my team!" Gwen yelled, pointing accusingly at Karen.

"As if! Sacchun, don't believe her." Karen said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, maybe --" Sacchun was cut short. There were live squirrels on the big tree in the center of the lunch dome, and one of them had just shot a small tiny ball at Sacchun's head. It was about the size of a marble, only slightly bigger.

"Ouch!" Sacchun exclaimed. "What a cute squirrel though... I wonder how they got them to throw those tiny balls! They must be really well trained!" Sacchun said excitedly, going over to the tree. However, they were distracted when the tiny ball the squirrel had thrown exploded in a cloud of harmless smoke.

"Wh-what is this?!" Popuri asked, bewildered. In an instant, each squirrel on the tree had begun pelting little smoke bombs at them, and in no sooner than five minutes, the entire lunch dome was engulfed in smoke. They all coughed.

"Rrrgh... the ninja must always adapt to a new situation!" Sacchun said, using her ninja star to cut through the smoke. It wasn't working well.

"Evil little animals!" Lloyd exclaimed, waving away as much smoke as he could with his cape.

"I'm getting out of here!" Karen yelled, running for the exit of the Lunch Dome.

"Hey, I don't think so, you're not getting away with cheating and running!" Gwen said, grabbing her arm. The others took this oppurtunity to run out of the smoke-filled Lunch Dome. The hall-way they were in was again, draped in black sheets.

"We better get there soon..." Mia said sounding unhappy.

"This has been one heck of a night." Kurt agreed. They kept walking through the hallway, until they reached gigantic, familar, oak doors.

"The Auditorium!" they all said at once.

"This has to be our destination." Joe said.

"I'm sure of it. My ninja senses are tingling!" Sacchun said, a twinkle in her eyes. They pushed the oak doors open, and with a loud, screeching _creeeeeeeak_, they went in.

The whole auditorium had been turned into a dark maze, with mirrors everywhere, and there was even fog floating in the air.

"Ooooooh. This must be the last trial." Sacchun said.

"Good. Please, let us get this over with." Mia said. _I'll kill my dad for this!_ she thought bitterly. They walked into the maze, trying not to get mixed up by the odd mirrors.

"This is like one big strange carnival." Joe remarked.

"At the end of this maze, we'll either find Meg or the ribbons." Lloyd said.

"Hopefully Meg..." Kurt said. They continued through the confusing maze, often walking into mirrors or walls.

"How much longer does this go on? The auditorium isn't _that _big." Mia said, looking around apprehensively.

"You have to admit, they put a lot of work into it." Sacchun said. "Lyla must have worked very hard."

"I appreciate that! I just... don't like all this scary stuff." Mia said, uncomfortably.

"...Well, you have to admit Mia," Lloyd started. "It was fun at some points." Mia stopped in her tracks. She looked down, as if in deep thought.

"I suppose so..." she said quietly. _Yeah. _Mia thought. _It was kind of fun..._

"Hey, Alex said that two other groups were ahead of us..." Sacchun said suddenly.

"Yeah, Gwen's and Karen's." Kurt said.

"...But they're back there. That means we're in the lead!" Sacchun said excitedly. "Wheeehehehhee!" she cheered. Finally, they saw the stage and found that they were nearing the end of the maze. All of them started walking quickly, finally happy to get to the end. Just as they left the maze, the lights went off. One spotlight turned on, on the stage. It was shining on a single jewelery box, that had... several red ribbons in them.

"Whoohoo! We made it!!" Joe said, leaping up the stage. They all followed, cheering, even Mia. However, right when they were about to take a ribbon, a floorboard underneath where they stood seemed to fall through, and they all fell under the stage. They yelled in surprise as they fell.

"Ouch! What happened?" Lloyd said, getting to his feet.

"A loose floorboard, perhaps?" Mia wondered, getting to her feet and brushing dust off her dress.

"No... I think someone did this on purpose." Kurt said.

"Huh? What makes you think that." Joe asked.

"...Maybe... that." Sacchun said, pointing behind them to a cloaked figure, holding Meg. The others turned around and gasped.

"So, you finally made it..." said the cloaked figure. They couldn't tell who's voice it was. However, Mia suddenly looked very alert.

"Yes... now please, hand over our friend." Mia said, stepping forward. They stared at her - Mia wasn't exactly the type to be assertive in this kind of situation.

"Not just yet, my dears." the cloaked figure said.

"Why did you take her, anyway?" Kurt asked. Meg blushed again.

"Just for an added incentive... It's not such a big deal, is it now?" he said.

"Let me go!" Meg said in protest.

"Not just yet." the cloaked figure said. He began fumbling with something in his cloak, something they couldn't see. From the other side of the room, suddenly, they heard a very low cackle that distracted them completely.

"What was that?!" Sacchun asked, whipping around.

"WAAAH!" Mia screamed. Behind them was a tall, slightly transparent, dark-robed ghost. The ghost looked like grim reaper, almost.

"You're mine..." he said, in his low hoarse voice. He began to advance, holding one arm out.

"G-Get away!" Joe said, leaping in front of him with his swords. He swiped at him, but the slash went right through him, like cutting through air. The ghost walked right through him, and though he may have imagined it, Joe felt a cold chill go down his spine.

"Screw that, let's get out of here!" Lloyd said, dashing for the stepladder that lead to the stage. The ghost was too fast. It faded out of sight, then appeared right in front of the stepladder, blocking off their exit. The cloaked figure was laughing, still clutching Meg in one hand.

"Joe!" Kurt exclaimed. "Go help Meg, we'll try and keep this joker busy!" he said, picking up a long skinny metal pipe lying on the ground. He charged at the ghost and swung the pipe at him, but it didn't connect at all - it just went through him.

Joe shot towards the cloaked figure, trying to run all ninja-like. _This is so cool! It's like... I'm in Uber Ninja Quest II!_ he thought excitedly. The smile on his face seemed to grow wider. Before he could slow down, however, Joe wasn't paying attention and slid right into the cloaked figure and meg. Stumbling to get up from the tangle, he slipped on the cloaked figure's cloak and the cloak slipped off, revealing a portly man with a big red hat, brown hair, and small bushy moustache.

"I knew it." Mia said, an odd look of triumph on her face. She stepped forward. "Congratulations, father, you did a good job this year." she said, clapping. She looked down at Theodore, noticing he had a remote in his hand. In grey faint writing, it said "SPECIAL FX 2000" on it. He blinked and tried to hide the remote, but Mia snatched it from him.

"Really now..." she pressed the big red _'Off'_ button on it and the ghostly image disappeared.

"And I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't fer yeh meddlin' kids!" Theodore shook his fist. The others, Kurt, Sacchun, and Lloyd all spun around to look at Theodore.

"Well kids, I'm glad you had fun... You will indeed get your rewards soon, but first --" Theodore was cut off by a pair of muffled triumphant yells coming from above them. They all dashed out onto the stage to see Karen and Gwen both holding a ribbon, jumping in the air.

"I won! I so totally won!" Gwen yelled.

"Shuddap! You cheated, and I got here before you!" Karen snarled back.

"As if! That's so not true." Gwen said fiercely.

"What_ever!_"

"But more importantly, students." Theodore said, clearing his throat. "Did you have fun?" Everyone but Mia yelled in unison.

_"YES!!"_

"What about you, dear?" Theodore asked his blue-haired daughter. She looked at all her friends, and they gave her a reassuring smile.

_I got over my fears..._.

"Yes Father. I did have fun." she said, smiling. They all decided to go for a last minute trick-or-treat to scrape up whatever candy was still left. Laughing and smiling, they left through the auditorium's back door into the bustling streets.

"Hey guys," Joe started. "Do you get the feeling that we're forgetting something?"

"Huh? Not really, unless you meant Mia's book!" Sacchun laughed.

Meanwhile, a lone blonde girl tangled up in a black cloak struggled to get free, in the room underneath the stage in the auditorium. "Uh... anybody? Hello? Lloyd? Kurt? _Sacchun?! ANYOOOOONE?! HEEEEEELP!"_


	14. Of Boys & Blood

// **Author's Note: **

**WARNING! **I just want to warn that this chapter may contain a bit of a touchy subject, which has to do with slitting your wrists. Some might think that this is a bit out of place in this fanfic, but like I said, I'd like to cover at least _most _of what really goes on in a high school. I would suggest reading this chapter anyway, for the sake of the foreshadowing and the introduction of some important characters, but I appologize for the way it has turned out. It's not taking a whole 360 degree switch to a drama/angst story, this is just something that had to be put in for the sake of the story that I'm trying to write. You have been given fair warning. If it's not to your taste, don't leave a nasty review. Some subjects are necessary when it comes to writing a story like this one.

**End Author's Note //**

Chapter 14: Of Boys and Blood

November rolled in serenely, robbing the trees of their colourful beauty. It began raining a lot more and sunshine was rare.

"Blahh. This rain is like, uber depresso." Sacchun moaned. She got out what she needed from her locker, then closed it. "Gym next.." she said to herself. She headed for the gymnasium, but was distracted on her way there. The hallways were deserted. Glancing up at the large clock on the left side of the hallway, she let out a yelp.

"I'm laaaaaate!" she exclaimed, without realising that she was probably disturbing classes. She dashed off down the hallway and the stairs at the end of it, only to arrive on another hallway which ended in another flight of stairs.

"Why must this school be so big?!" she said in a huff, still running. She ran to the end of the second hallway, and stopped suddenly. A figure walking accross the school grounds outside the window caught her attention. A girl with short black hair and all-black attire was strolling along the grounds, alone. It was Dia.

_Huh?_ Sacchun thought to herself. _But Dia should be in class now... in fact, she's in my gym class! Maybe I'm not the only one who's late..._

Dia continued to walk, clutching something in her hand that Sacchun couldn't make out. She walked until she was out of sight, hidden behind another part of the school.

_I wonder what she's up to..._ Sacchun thought. The weather was bad, the rain was fierce, and there were no classes outside. _I know she smokes but... would she really go outside in this weather? _Sacchun pondered. Lifting her gaze from the window, Sacchun let another yelp escape her.

"Noo! I'm even _more _late!" she yelled, dashing off to the gym.

---

"Settle down, boys." Mr. Bernard, also known as Zack, called out to the boy's gym class. He was an extremely buff man with a golden tan - one he had accquired by living most of his in a house by the beach of some town. He was tall and hard short brown hair that almost resembled a crew cut. The boys all sat on the floor, waiting for Zack to explain the day's activities. He held a volleyball under his arm, and clutched the attendance sheet clipped to a clipboard in his other hand.

"Since it's raining and the girls' gym teacher is sick, we're playing co-ed volleyball." Zack explained.

"Co-ed?" one of the boys asked, looking up. He had dark brown hair, almost black, that fell to his shoulders, a red bandana constantly around his forehead, tan skin, and a very handsome face.

"Yes, Dan. Co-ed." Zack repeated. "Meaning you will be playing with the girls' gym class."

Many of the boys in the group all looked around happily, snickered, or made snide remarks to the person sitting next to them. Dan gave his friend a high-five.

"Right on!" he said. He also had tan skin, though he had extremely short light brown hair covered almost completely by a purple bandana that covered his head. Dan and his friend Kai were the 'pretty boys' of the grade - almost every girl wanted to date them, and they wanted to date almost every girl. Some of the smarter girls stayed away from them, since they were not only major players, but were known to drink and gamble as well.

"Hey, that means we get to play volleyball with Sacchun!" Joe said happily, turning to Lloyd.

"Yep, looks like it." he said, getting up, as the rest of the class did. They began to walk to to the girls' gymnasium.

"Hehe... fun!" Joe said, walking with Lloyd. Kurt caught up with them.

"Our first co-ed gym class of the year..." Kurt said.

"This should be interesting. All the guys in our class are crazy competetive, and all the girls like to do are giggle at our shorts and gossip among their little friends." Lloyd said exasperatedly.

"Aw, be happy! Cute girls in gym attire, jumping around and running and stuff!" Joe said happily.

"_They're _deffinitely happy about it." Lloyd said, staring ahead at Dan and Kai and their own little posse of friends. Dan and Kai were laughing and discussing the girls in their grade. They entered the girls' gymnasium a moment later and they were, just as Lloyd said, giggling and muttering among themselves.

"Y'know, and here I was thinking we had left _grade two _a long time ago." Lloyd said, rolling his eyes.

"Girls will be girls." Kurt said, waving to Meg and Sacchun, who appeared out of breath.

"Hey guys!" Meg said, running over.

"Yay.. for.. Co-ed...!" Sacchun said between breaths.

"Gosh, what happened to you?" Lloyd asked, his eyebrows raised.

"She was late and dashed all the way to our gym class." Meg explained for her. Sacchun caught her breath and they rejoined the rest of the group. Zack did a small demonstration on how to properly hit a volleyball with Ray, and then they divided into teams of six. Just as they were dividing, however, the doors to the gym swung open and Dia walked in, looking cold, wet, and smelling of smoke and something else that they couldn't put their finger on. She was wearing a long black turtle neck, instead of regular gym attire.

"Now where have you been, lady?" Zack asked her gruffly. Nobody seemed to notice Dia's arrival, but Joe, Sacchun, Meg, Lloyd, and Kurt watched intently.

"Sorry." she said unconvincingly.

"You should be. Take a spot on the bench." he said, glaring at her. Dia looked as if she wanted to smack Zack's glare off his face, but she turned serenely and walked over to the bench and sat down.

"Where do you think she was?" Meg asked, turning back to her friends.

"I saw her outside on my way down." Sacchun told them.

Kurt looked sympathetically to Dia, who simply stared at the floor. _I really wish I knew what was wrong with her. _he thought. She was nasty, rude, and cold, but Kurt did not think she was a bad person deep down. Okay, _really _deep down. They were interrupted rather rudely as Dan walked up to Sacchun and Meg and put one hand around each of the girls.

"Hey ladies, wanna ditch these losers and join _my _team? 'Cause on my team, _everyone _scores." he said, with a wink. Sacchun looked mildly like she wanted to strangle him, and Meg just released herself from his arm's embrace.

"Sorry Dan, we have a team." she said, not at all sounding sorry.

"This bunch of losers?" Dan snorted.

"You're the loser, Dan! Why can't you be more... appealing?" Sacchun said, her eyebrows raised. "I mean, you have the looks, but such an ugly personality lies underneath that bronze skin."

"Trust me, baby, it's not what's under my skin that matters." he said, squeezing Sacchun closer.

"Sleazeball." Meg added. Dan chose to ignore her.

"Besides," Sacchun said, looking surprisingly amused. "Aren't you going out with Karen?"

"Let a player play the field!" Dan said, grinning.

"Oh, you'll be free to _play the field _now, Dan." said a voice behind him. Sacchun snickered as Dan released her and wheeled around to see Karen, tapping her foot and looking as fierce as a firecracker.

"Oh, Karen baby! Didn't notice you were there..." he said with a nervous chuckle.

"Really, let me make my presence more _noticeable._" she said, approaching him, fists clenched.

"Whoa whoa, no need to get violent hunny! Ask Sacchun, we were just talking about ... sports! Right?" Dan looked desperately at Sacchun.

"Yes, yes, let's go with that." Sacchun laughed, rolling her eyes. Karen dragged Dan away to deal with him herself, and the volleyball game started.

"Hey Joe, you're serving first!" called Lloyd. Joe took the ball from him and was about to serve it to the other team.

"...Despicable _PIG!!_" they heard Karen yell a moment later, and Dan came back with a swollen bottom lip and bleeding nose.

"Roughed you up good, huh?" Kai asked, shaking his head in regret.

"She'll get over it." Dan said, his voice sounding strained.

"Are you sure you'd even want to be with her if she's gonna treat you like that?" Kai said, sounding disgusted, as if it was all Karen's fault.

"Heh, it's just a minor inconvenience. I mean, you wouldn't _believe _how hot she can be when she's -- OOF!" Dan stopped, getting hid on the head with the volleyball.

"_Sorry!_" Joe called. Sacchun laughed. Dan tossed the ball back to Joe.

"Okay, serve." Kurt told his brother.

"One sec, one sec." Joe said, aiming the ball. He bumped it into the air and the game began. They were facing a pretty pathetic team, made up of Mary, Rick, Mia, Ann, and a younger-looking boy with a babyish face and golden locks named Carl.

"Aah!" He whimpered, as the ball sailed over the net to his side. He cowered as the ball fell to the ground, earning the other team a point.

"Whoohoo!" Sacchun cheered. Ann sighed impatiently, picked up the ball and tossed it back to our side. She was the only good player on the team.

"Honestly Carl, at _least _try and hit the ball." Ann said as she walked back to her position. "Serve 'em up!"

Joe bumped the ball over the net again, and Rick, who was cleaning his glasses, got hit in the head. Joe tried to suppress his laughter for the sake of the poor nerd. Ray, who was playing with his girlfriend Eve the next court over, laughed openly at Rick. Ray was known to be extremely competetive and extremely harsh when it came to sports, and liked to act even _more _macho when he was with his blonde bombshell of a girlfriend.

Meanwhile, Zack had gone over to speak with Dia. Joe was stalling with serving the ball, in hopes of overhearing their conversation and finding out why Dia was late, but the sound from the other teams drowned them out.

"_Come on, Joe! _Serve the damn ball!" Ann said, after Joe had dribbled the volleyball for a solid two minutes.

"Oh, right, sorry." He said, picking it up, then acting as if he was measuring the distance from his side of the court to the other. Ann groaned impatiently. No one on Joe's team complained. Kurt was straining his ears to find out why Dia had been late as well.

"...and without your uniform, no less..." they heard Zack telling her. With a quick glance in her direction, it was obvious that Dia was simply drinking in the words without a hint of reaction.

"Got it, young lady? Now go join their team for the last ten minutes of class." Zack pointed over to their team. Dia's eyes widened slightly, and she seemed to freeze, looking like an inanimate doll.

"Go on." Zack urged. She got up and walked slowly over to their team, taking up the empty position beside Kurt. She suppressed a cough.

"Hey Joe, why don't you give Dia a chance to serve?" Kurt asked, turning to Joe. Joe looked bewildered at first, but dropped the ball and moved up.

"No." Dia said simply.

"It's okay, Dia, I don't mind." Joe said, hoping he sounded at least somewhat kind.

"_No._" Dia said more aggressively.

"Hey, come on, what's holding up the game?" Ann called from her side.

"Nothing, nothing, Dia was about to serve." Meg said. Dia looked extremely uncomfourtable. She moved to Joe's position and picked up the ball, her sleeves covering her hands due to their length.

"It might help to roll back your sleeves." Sacchun offered, with the hint of a smile on her face.

"No. I'm fine." Dia hissed. Sacchun turned around immediately. They all watched as Dia raised the ball in one hand. She held her arm back and swung it forward to bump the ball over the net with her wrist.

The next thing that happened shocked everyone. Dia's sleeves rolled back as she bumped the ball, and the next thing they knew, a stream of blood was tailing the ball as it flew over the net. It hit the ground right near Mary's feet, and Mary shrieked.

"B..._Blood!_" she yelled, her terrified gaze turning to Dia. Almost everyone in the gymnasium turned stonily silent as heads turned to Dia.

"Well, who's this little dark princess...?" they heard Dan say from somewhere in the gym, but he was silenced with a _'Shh!'_ from Zack. Zack rushed over to Dia, who collapsed on the floor, tears streaming down her face. Her bloody wrists now fully exposed.

"Get Alex. Get a counselor. This girl needs help." Zack said gruffly to Ray. Ray rushed out of the gym, without letting a word escape his lips. Kurt stared wide-eyed at Dia, lying on the floor, sobbing.

"_Shut up!_" she yelled, as Zack tried to help her up. She smacked his hand away from her, leaving an imprint of blood on it. "I don't want your help! I don't _need _your help!" she cried, getting up and running from the gym. Many of the students were muttering and wondering what had happened.

"She dropped something." Sacchun said suddenly, looking at the ground. She, Zack, and Kurt all approached it in a small circle.

Dotted with drops of blood, lay a metal razor blade.


	15. For Elize

**// Author's Note: **Firstly, I'm sorry for the time it took to update and the fact that this chapter isn't that long ;. Between school and family events, I found it hard to work on HH! . . As for this chapter's length, It was originally going to be a completely different topic, but I figured after the last chapter people would want to know more about what's going to happen with Dia, so yes, this is the first chapter that is going to be completely about Dia, in Dia's perspective! Hooray! It's like an epilogue to Chapter 14, and yet it's also a prologue to many events to come :) Enjoy! **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 15: For Elize

_They know. _Dia Elize thought to herself, the cold November wind whipping her face as she walked home the next day. Ever since what happened during gym class yesterday, these thoughts had gripped her mind, making it almost impossible to concentrate on anything. _They know! _she repeated to herself in her mind.

It wasn't just them. News of Dia's cutting had spread through Flowerbud High like a highly contagious cold. Luckily for her, she was too new for most people to know her, but she still caught people whispering or pointing at her as she walked by. Teachers too, had acted awkwardly around her. Manna had ignored her for the whole class, delibrately making the class write a journal entry rather than work on Romeo & Juliet. In History, Mr. Barette had snapped at her when she took too long handing out the history text books. Even the damned _lunch lady _had whimpered while serving Dia her food.

She tried not to let it get to her. _It's been this long since I've had a friend... I can go on a bit longer._ she thought bitterly. By now it had been easy to forget her loneliness, forget the fact that she hadn't had friends in _years._ She was used to people avoiding her and ignoring her. However, the intricacy of it all was shattered because of _them._ They had tried to reach out to her. They tried to _befriend _her. It was _them _who made her head spin. She felt like going crazy some times, knowing that someone, _someone,_ could acctually want to befriend her.

She continued to walk, remarking the early Christmas decorations some houses had up. _It's only a matter of time before the snow falls. The snow..._ her memories surrounded her, and a huge wave of nostalgia overtook her mind.

She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and shook her head. _The past is the past._ she repeated these words to herself until she had made it back to her student room. She walked in to the dull room. The walls and ceiling were all white, as she didn't care for paint or wallpaper. The furniture was minimal - a dining table and three chairs, a cabinet for dishes, a desk with her computer on it, two standing lamps she used to light up the main room. Her kitchen was even more minimal - a fridge, a stove, and a microwave. That's all she really needed.

Dia's bed room was slightly different. She had a regular bed and a desk which was cluttered with her homework and her own personal work. She had a large bookshelf, and another shelf beside it carrying trinkets of her past that she liked to keep as souvenirs of her past lives - the different locations she had been transferred to.

_Not that it's much to brag about._ she would frequently think to herself. Dia was unfortunate when it came to homes. She had been tossed around between foster families, and often sent on long foreign exchange school trips only to come back to find that her family had disappeared, abandonned her, or moved away. She was used to this by now, but still kept souvenirs. She knew that the only way to keep the past dormant would be if she acknowledged its existance, but didn't dwell on it. The souvenirs worked well that way.

Putting down her school bag near the door, Dia went directly over to her computer and let herself fall into the chair. She liked living alone. It was more reliable than being tossed around by strangers. She didn't quite consider Flowerbud her _home. _Not yet, anyway. It was far too early to ever consider any place her _home. _But this would have to do. She turned on her computer, and opened a folder with her downloaded music in it. She put on classical music - the only thing that acctually soothed her. Laying back in her chair, she relaxed herself and thought. She felt familiar voices resurfacing in her head.

_"Well, we were just wondering if you wanted to come eat with us, since it's your first day here and..." _

_"It'sh no fun t'eat all by yourshelf!" _

_"We were trying to be friendly!"_

She opened her eyes, only to realise they were stung with tears. "...Friends." she whispered to herself. Her mind was swimming with different thoughts now. Without being fully aware of herself, she pulled out a phone directory and picked up the phone on her desk. Holding it to her ear, she flipped through the phone directory again to the page that had the numbers of each resident in the Flowerbud Student buildings. She searched down the list for their room number again and dialed it slowly. The phone rang on the other end.

"Hello?" a voice speaked into it. Dia said nothing. She inhaled, wanting to say something. Anything. But Dia was never good with words. She felt her head spinning again.

"...Hello?!" the voice said, frustrated. Dia shoved the phone down again, without meaning to do so with such ferocity. She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at her wrists... _No. That's not the answer. _she tried to convince herself. She raised the volume of the classical music, and put on her favourite track - Für Elise, by Beethoven. She felt a connection to this song - whether it be because of her last name, or just because it brought back faint memories of her childhood.

"Friends..." Dia whispered again, feeling more alone than ever, as Für Elise played on.


	16. Languages 101

**// Author's Note: **Okay! Time to break out of the "emoness" from the last two chapters. Sorry about all that, but as I had said before, It's an important aspect to the story. This story is coming along well... more is starting to build up . So for people who have been wondering, you'll now get a vague idea of what will be happening in December for the Starry Night festival. Also, a cookie to whoever can find out the origins of "Spatule" and "Espatula" XD (Though it's not very hard!). And lastly, please forgive my poor spanish! I hope I got it right. I was basically referring to some of my friends for the words and stuff... so blame them if it's wrong XD. Here's another more school-ish chapter, enjoy! **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 16 - Languages 101

"...and it was just the same weird silence like the last few times?" Meg asked, sitting closely to her friends at their lunch table.

"Well, kinda. This time I could hear weird classical music in the background." Lloyd told her, taking a bite out of his chicken wrap.

"Spooky!" Sacchun chirped in.

"No, I'm sure there's a _logical _explanation for this." Meg said thoughtfully. "It's probably one of those weird interference problems. Maybe your phone is just in a really inconvenient position that picks up weird broadcasts."

"It's possible." Lloyd admitted.

"I don't know. I've heard of interference interfering _while _you're _on _the phone, but not acctually making the phone ring like as if someone was calling." Kurt said, sipping juice from a juice box.

"Then how 'bout you just move the phone around, and if ya still get those phone calls, we'll at least know it's not an interference problem." Sacchun suggested.

"I guess I'll try that." Lloyd said. Joe came to sit with them, accompanied by Ray.

"Hey guys!" Joe said, taking a seat next to Sacchun. Ray sat across from him, next to Meg. Meg personally didn't like Ray, since aside from his toned body, he really wasn't very _charming _or _tactful_ when it came to women. People said he was a lot more shy earlier on, but had gotten more confident with all the sports he played.

"Yo." he said to the group.

"Anyway, go on. What were you saying?" Joe asked, turning to Ray and eating his lunch.

"I dunno man, I dunno! Eve's sending all these _weeeird _signals. I mean, we know the Starry Night ball is coming up next month and stuff but she keeps talking about it and _romance _and stuff and... gah!" Ray said, looking panic-stricken. Meg rolled her eyes, but chose not to say anything.

"Womenfolk are strange." Joe jested, shooting a playful grin at Meg and Sacchun. Sacchun punched him playfully in the arm and Meg rolled her eyes again.

"I don't think I'll _ever _understand them." Ray admitted.

"Well hey, dude, you made it this far? You've got this _hot _blonde on your shoulder!" Joe said, giving him a thumbs-up.

"True." Ray said with confidence. "But I still wish I knew what she wanted..."

"Are you _really _this thick...?!" Meg said under her breath. Ray didn't hear her. It wasn't that Ray was dumb - in fact, he was rather smart about certain subjects. Though when it came to women, Ray was deffinitely not the sharpest. Meg turned to him sweetly, putting on an almost mockingly friendly face.

"Hey Rayy! How about you invite her to the Starry Night Ball and tell her you'd love to spend the night with her? That _might _work!" she said, her words tainted with sarcasm. Ray didn't seem to notice.

"...Yeah!" Ray said. "Why didn't I think of that!"

"I really don't know!" Meg said again, in that fake-cheery voice.

"Anyway, I've gotta go meet up with Eve. See you around!" Ray said, waving and walking off.

"Ugh. He's nice and everything but dear goddess, Eve can do _soooooo _much better." Meg said with an exasperated sigh.

"Hmmm..." Sacchun said softly, apparently in thought.

"What is it, Sacchun?" Meg turned to her.

"The Starry Night ball... It sounds fun, doesn't it...?" she said, in a very unusual tone. It wasn't Sacchun's regular hyper-active excited voice, one which she frequently used for events such as the Haunted High. She sounded somewhat more mature, as if she had been thinking about this topic for a while.

"Huh? Well, yeah, I guess." Lloyd said, finishing up his lunch. They got up and headed for the Lunch Dome's exit.

"It sure would be fun to go." Sacchun said, walking besides Joe.

"Hahaha, It probably would be!" Joe laughed. He walked towards Lloyd.

"So, whatcha have next?" he asked him, leaving Sacchun behind.

Sacchun was _slightly _dissapointed.

---

Almost half an hour later, Lloyd and Sacchun were all heading to the Language classroom. The previous year, they had been given the choice to learn a second language: either French, Spanish, or Chinese. Lloyd and Sacchun had taken Spanish, while Joe and Meg had taken french. The Language department was located next to the _Arts & Music _wing. Lloyd was used to this department, as he had had english classes here the last two years, before they had relocated Manna's english class to the upper floor.

They had started the _Language _courses rather late in the year this year, because they could not find a French teacher as of yet. Their old French Teacher, Mr. Spatule, had retired at the end of last year, and their was an unusually small amount of french-speaking people willing to teach a High School french course. In the end, they had found one, it seemed, for the morning announcements had announced that the "Study Period" they had certain days after lunch would now be replaced with an acctual class. Sacchun pulled out her schedule, to see who their teacher would be, and if it would be anyone she recognized.

"Mr. Espátula, huh...?" Sacchun said, looking down at her own schedule.

"I don't think I've ever met him." Lloyd said, wondering what he'd be like. They approached the classroom to see that the door was still locked. Mr. Espátula had not returned from his lunch break yet. They stood around, and soon more students arrived at the classroom, including Dan, Eve, Ray, and Gwen.

"Heya!" Gwen greeted, raising her hand to Sacchun.

"Gwenneh!" Sacchun responded with a high-five.

"Ouch!!" Gwen yelped in pain. Sacchun flinched at her yelp, and looked down at Gwen's hand. It had burn marks on it.

"Sorry, Sorry!" Sacchun said worriedly.

"No, no, It's okay. I just forgot that this hand got burnt. I was making some pizza last night and... yeah." Gwen waved her hand as if it spoke for itself.

"Aw, that sucks. Were you okay?"

"Hah, it'd take more than a little burn to take down a tough girl like me." she laughed, flexing her arm jokingly.

"Hey Dan," Sacchun said, turning to him. "Don't you already _know _spanish?"

"Exactly. I can get an easy 90 in this class." he winked.

"Lazy ass." Gwen pushed him playfully.

"What about your tag-along -- I mean, Kai?" Sacchun said delibrately.

"He's taking french. He thinks it's romantic and stuff. _Oh, Mon amour!"_ he mocked him, pulling Eve close and dipping her as if they were in the middle of a romantic dance.

"H-Hey!" Ray objected, snatching Eve back from him. He was troubled to see that Eve had a shade of red in her face and was giggling feebly.

_That's right._ Dan thought, flashing a seductive grin. _Give into the Danmeister._

"That reminds me," Ray said, clearing his throat. It was time to take action. Or at least, _some _form of action. "Eve, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Starry Night Ball with me and maybe... spend some time with me afterwards?" he asked, almost profesionally. Some of the girls around him who knew how fumbly he was with ladies exchanged impressed glances. Ray had _acctually _done something tactful!

"Oh... Sure!" Eve said, her face turning an even deeper shade of red. She flung herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a long deep kiss.

"_Oooooooh!_" some students chorused in a sing-song voice, which dissolved into giggles. Ray felt at this moment, slightly more manly.

"Oi! Hola clase!" called the voice of a man, running towards them in great leaps. He had a thick spanish accent, and was scarfing down a hot-dog as he ran over to them. "Yo siento!" he called, pulling out a ring of keys from his pocket. He unlocked the door and opened it for the class. The room was a regular classroom, though it was on the first floor and there were tons of trees outside the windows of the room. There were many bookshelves with dictionaries and encyclopedias in Spanish, as well as a chart about verb conjugations.

Wiping his balding forehead, Mr. Espátula walked into the class, gulping down the remains of his hot dog.

"Hola clase!" he said again. "Hello everyone." he said in english.

The class responded with half-hearted greetings.

"Welcome, to Spanish class." he said, clasping his hands together. "Today we're going to cover the introduction to Español."

Dan yawned, sitting in the back of the class with Ray, Eve, and Gwen. Gwen didn't really like Dan, or Ray for that matter, but since Eve was her best friend, she sat with her. Sacchun, Lloyd, and some other classmates were sitting a few seats ahead of them. Sacchun raised her hand.

"Yes signorita?" Ronald asked, consulting his attendance list. "Sacchen?" he repeated in his accent.

"Sac_chun_, acctually, but yeah. How do you say ninja in spanish?" she asked predictably.

"Ninja." he said simply.

"Yes, I know. But how do you say it in Spanish?"

"Ninja." he said again.

"...Yes, I know. But how do you say it in _spanish?!"_

"Ninja!"

"YES, NINJA. But how do you _sayyyyy_ Ninja in spanish?"

"Ninja is Ninja!" he said, exasperated.

"But in spanish Ninja is...?"

"Ninja!"

"Ninja?!"

"...is Ninja!" They continued like this for a good five minutes before Ronald had to draw a diagram on the board to show Sacchun that Ninja was the word used both in english and spanish."Well he could've just said so.." Sacchun grumbled as the class continued on. Ronald had gotten out a yellow package for each student, and passed them out. In it, had simple spanish sentences and questions.

"Flip to _página dos._" he said, flipping through his own booklet. "Page two." he repeated in english. The class did so. The page had a question at the top of it.

"_Como te llamas_?" Ronald read out loud to the class. Dan raised his hand.

"Sí?" Ronald pointed to him all the way at the back of the class.

"Me llama Dan." he responded. Ronald gave him a small applause. Some people in the class looked confuse.

"It just means, What is your name?" Ronald explained. "You respond by saying, _Me llama... _and then your name."

"Me llama Sacchun! Me llama Sacchun!" Sacchun said.

"Sí, sí." Ronald said. He turned to _página cuatro, _as did the rest of the class, and he let them work in partners on this activity. It was a simple activity that involved matching spanish words with english words. Lloyd was working with Sacchun, who was surprisingly very good at recognizing these words and their english counterparts.

"Oh, oh, _gato! _It's cat!" she said, drawing a line with her pencil between the two words. She continued on, without giving Lloyd the chance to try.

"_Torta, torta!_" she said, drawing a line between _torta _and cake. Lloyd yawned and leaned back in his chair, deciding not to complain. They were the first to finish the activity, even before Dan. Though mostly because he was being lazy about the whole thing. Sacchun had gone to hang out with Gwen, and Lloyd, not wanting to sit alone, accompanied her begrudgingly.

"Hola, Gwena!" she greeted, taking the seat next to her. Gwen laughed, and waved. Lloyd sat next to Sacchun. Gwen and Eve were still working on their worksheet.

"Hey Eve?" Lloyd asked.

"Mmmyeah?" she said, without lifting her gaze from the paper.

"I'm surprised you didn't take French class. After all, you do know french." he said.

"Well then it shouldn't be a surprise to you. Who'd take a language class in a language they _already_ know?" she said, laughing her silvery laugh. Dan walked over, as if on cue.

"_Hola, unas chicas guapas!" _he said, putting one arm around Gwen and the other around Eve.

"H-_Hey!_" Ray said, grabbing his arm and lifting it from Eve's shoulder. Dan submissively moved over to Gwen.

"Hello, _mi amor!_" Dan said, shifting his attention to Gwen.

"...Hello Dan." she deadpanned wearily.

"Does this _chica _have a date for the Starry Night Ball next month?" he asked, clearly planning to ask her out.

"It wouldn't matter, because I wouldn't go with _you._" she said forwardly.

"Ouch." he said.

"Mmhm." Gwen said, sounding bored. She continued to work on her paper with Eve.

"What about you, _mi amor?_" he said, moving to Sacchun.

"Hola Dana!"

"You going to the ball?" he asked her, a hand on her chair, the other on her shoulder.

"Iunno." she said. "Depends if someone asks me."

"Well then, _chica, _what do you say to me and you --"

"No!" she said simply. "Someone who's not a sleazeball..." she added, an amused smile playing on her lips.

"Double _ouch._" he said. "How'm I a sleazeball anyway?"

"...You're going out with Karen, and here you are asking girls out without hesitation! There's no more to be said! You, equals, sleazeball!" Gwen said in frustration.

Suddenly, Lloyd felt like something hit him in the face. _He _hadn't even thought about who he would go with to the ball, if he even did go at all. All this time he had felt mildly amused watching people as if on the outside, but he had completely forgotten about himself. He wondered if there was a girl out there who wanted to go with him. He wasn't the super popular type, but he wasn't a total outcast either. Too bad he sucked at asking girls out.

_Maybe Sacchun or Meg...?_ he thought, but erased that thought from his mind a moment later. He couldn't imagine himself going out with them, they were his best friends, almost like his sisters. He pondered it for a while longer. He knew Meg had a huge crush on Kurt. For a moment he wondered what it felt like to have a girl have a crush on you...

His thoughts were interrupted by the bell that signaled the end of class. He got out of his seat and walked to the door with Sacchun. As they left, they met up with the other Language class, emerging from their French class. Meg, Joe, and Kurt were among them. Kai walked over to Dan.

"_Bonjour!" _he said proudly.

"_Hola!" _Dan greeted back, giving his friend a low high-five. Kai moved to Gwen.

"Bonjour, mon amour!" he said with a seductive grin. "How about me and you at the Starry Night Ba--"

"No. No. _Non._ It's the same in all languages! Leave me alone!" Gwen said, sounding exasperated. She walked on with Eve and Ray to their lockers. At the mention of the Starry Night Ball, Meg and Sacchun began chatting about it.

"Looks like that's all anyone will be talking about for the next month or so." Joe said, stretching.

"Sí." Lloyd said, without realising it. "I-I mean, yeah." They watched as the girls conversed about the ball, starting to worry about who they would take themselves, and how they would approach the situation.

_Spanish was easy, _Lloyd thought to himself. _Girlese, _how ever, was a different story


	17. So, How's your Love Life?

**// Author's Note: **Whoa, two updates in one night? That's crazy! But you guys deserve it. Anyway, this is an amusing little chapter. Seems the anticipation to the Starry Night Ball is building up. I'm sure this chapter will spring up many little scenarios in your mind of what just might happen. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 17: So, How's your love life?

It had become very obvious, within the first week of December, that Joe had been very, _very_ right. Talk of the Starry Night Ball had become the subject of everyone's conversations. Only the grade tens, elevens, and twelves were allowed at the ball, unless anyone from a younger grade had been invited by a senior. Lloyd knew how feverish people got, judging from past years, and it was starting to affect him. Days seemed to slip away at this rate - he was almost surprised to find himself already in December. He knew he had barely three weeks to find someone to take to the ball. Joe was in a similar situation, and as far as they knew, Meg and Sacchun were also dateless.

"Did Dan ever find a date?" Meg asked with mild interest, as she walked with Lloyd, Sacchun, Kurt and Joe to English.

"Yeah, Karen heard of his flirting with a bunch of girls, and decided to step him and stake her claim on him before he hooked up with another girl." Lloyd told her.

"Oh. I see." she said.

"You're not thinking of _going _with him, are you?" Kurt asked her, sounding incredulous.

"Well, no, I was just curious." she said, though not sounding completely convinced by her own words.

"You'd have to be_ really _desperate for a date if you'd consider going with King Sleazeball." Joe said, laughing. Sacchun added to that with her own burst of laughter.

"Well _maybe _I wouldn't be so desperate if a guy would just hurry up and ask me!" she said irritably, walking down to the science wing in a huff. Kurt watched her go, almost regretfully.

"Sounds like someone's having trouble finding a date." Joe said, letting out a low whistle.

"Speak for yourself. _We're_ still dateless, remember?" Lloyd reminded him.

"I'm sure it's not _that _hard to ask a girl out." Sacchun said.

"Well _you _try doing it!" Joe argued.

"Sorry, I don't swing that way." Sacchun stuck out her tongue.

"Well... you've got it easy! You girls just have to sit back on your thrones waiting for some boy to ask you out." Joe said, sounding frustrated at the injustice of it all.

"Joe, if it was _that _easy I would've had a date a while ago." Sacchun pointed out.

"Well... _still._" Joe insisted. They arrived at English class, unsurprised to see Dia already sitting there. They had not spoken to her since the incident during Gym class, assuming that she probably wanted to keep her distance from them for as long as possible. They took their regular seats, and the rest of the class eventually walked in.

"Hey Karen!" Sacchun said, bouncing over to her. They began talking in low voices, no doubt about the ball.

"Dan was kind of upset to not be able to continue his hunt for a date, but I think I put him in my place. Which, oddly enough, turned him on. So yeah, all's well in Karen's-Love-Life land." Karen replied, after Sacchun asked her how things went with Dan.

"What about your friend Popuri? Does she have a date?" Sacchun inquired.

"Yep, acctually. Kai came begging for me to hook him up with one of my friends, so I got him to go with Popuri. They acctually make a pretty cute couple." Karen said, proud of her achievement.

"Hmm... Yeah, I can see them together. _I'm _still dateless, though." Sacchun said glumly.

"Oh, I'm sure someone will come to you eventually." Karen said, reassuringly. _Easy for you to say._ Sacchun thought to herself, with the first hint of bitterness she had felt in a long while. _Boys flock to you like moths to a porch light._

The class had begun, and they took their places.

"We'll be continuing Romeo & Juliet today, from act two, where we stopped last class." Manna said, opening her own book, as the class did the same. "Now then, Romeo? Juliet? Are you ready? This is the famous "_balcony scene_" that many people immediately think of when Romeo & Juliet is mentioned." Manna explained. "Any questions before we begin?" Joe raised his hand. Manna looked as if she didn't want to answer his question - whatever it was - but knew she had to.

"Yes, Joe?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah... Why's Romeo so emo? I always thought he was this fluffy romantic guy who composed poetry and wrote lame love songs and stuff like that." Joe asked. In all fairness, it was a good question.

"Well, Romeo _is _a romantic, you see. He feeds off the idea of love. He just loves _being _in love. He doesn't write silly love poems or anything, that's a common misconception, but when he was in love - he was _in _love." she said, almost dreamily. "If only modern-day men could be more like him." she sighed. Sacchun raised her hand, but didn't wait for Manna to call on her.

"You mean you wish men would jump from women to women and attempt to marry them within only a few hours of knowing them?" Sacchun asked, a quizzical look on her face.

"Well... er..." Manna coughed. "Moving on!"

Lloyd suddenly wished the simplicity of Romeo & Juliet applied to the real world. _Meet someone, chat with them for a few hours, maybe kiss or something, and boom, you're engaged._ he thought with a grim amusement. _It would make my life so much simpler._

Kurt and Dia started reading the scene. It was mostly just them in the scene, so it was like a conversation between Kurt and Dia. Romeo and Juliet. It was deffinitely awkward, after their little conflict the first time they met. Now, it was doubly awkward because of what happened at the gym.

"See how she leans her cheek upon that... that..." Kurt stuttered, losing his place.

"_Hand, _Kurt. _Hand._" Manna hissed, exasperated.

"Upon that hand. O, that I were a glove upon that hand, That I mi..."

"..._might touch that cheek!" _Manna hissed again.

"...Might touch that cheek!" he repeated nervously. Dia, however, had other ways of showing her uncomfort.

"Ay, me." she said, in a monotone voice.

"_Expression, _Dia, expression!" Manna said in a loud whisper once again, starting to regret the roles she had chosen. Kurt stuttered through his next few lines, tempting Manna to just give up on the both of them.

"Oh Romeo, Romeo. Wherefore art thou, Romeo. Deny thy father and refuse they name --" Dia's monotonous voice was interrupted by a small coughing fit. "-- Or if thou wilt not, be sworn my l...l..." she attempted to get the word out.

"_Love._" Manna whispered loudly once again.

"...l..love." Dia said slowly. "Be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet." she finished her line.

The rest of the scene proceeded in that manner.

The next class they had was Phys. Ed. Sacchun and the girls had not counted on seeing Manna so soon after English, and were surprised to see her standing in the middle of their gym, a whistle around her neck and a sports cap on. Apparently, she was subbing for their last gym teacher, who had gotten sick and had to leave. The girls weren't very thrilled by this piece of news.

"The only thing she'll excersize," Gwen said to Sacchun as Manna was going through a very, _very _thorough explanation of Volleyball, "Is her mouth."

Though Zack had told them Co-Ed was cancelled for now because of the switch in Gym teachers for the girls' class, it was plain and obvious that the event that happened with Dia was the cause for it. They weren't sure why, but they didn't want to press. It seemed like it was just an uncomfourtable subject right now, and that they should wait till things died down before holding anymore co-ed classes. The class was painful. Not, physically however. The guys who had gotten dates for the ball were bragging pompously. Even on the other volleyball court, Lloyd could hear Dan's distinct voice bragging about how Karen had apparently come begging for him to go with her.

"Yeah, she was _totally _on her knees. I can understand why, of course, I mean, I am quite a stud." he said, whipping the volleyball over to Kai.

"Haha, yeah, and her friend, Popuri, is a hottie also. I can't wait to see what ... progress... will be made after the ball." he said, rubbing his chin in thought.

"How perfect would _that _be." Dan thought, his mind off in perverted-thoughts land, a frequently visited place. He growled happily at the thoughts going through his mind.

_Right, like that would happen. _Lloyd thought, serving the ball to the other team. He knew Karen would _never _beg, especially not to Dan, and he knew for a fact that if Karen had any plans to 'progress' their relationship, Dan would have to damn well earn it.

_But Still... _He thought slowly. _He's damn lucky to even have a girl to take with him._

---

The snow. The snow had begun to fall - a sure sign that Winter was well on its way.

"...And not to mention, another painful reminder that we better hurry up and find a girl." Joe said to Lloyd, as they walked home together.

"I dunno, anymore. Maybe we should just let things go as they do?" he suggested. Joe snorted.

"We won't get anywhere with _that _strategy!"

"...Yeah, you're right." Lloyd said, feeling dejected.

"Okay, we need to regroup. Think, Lloyd, _think!_" Joe pushed. He racked his brain for some kind of strategy.

"Well. To ask a girl out, we should _think _like a girl." Lloyd suggested.

"What? Think? They don't _think, _Lloyd, they just chatter aimlessly about boys and stuff." Joe said, as if it was a well-known fact.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Have you ever acctually listened in on one of their conversations?" Lloyd said, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, No... this calls for research!" he said, a glint in his eye. He grabbed Lloyd's arm and they ran through the slowly falling snow, to a small Café on Azure Street.

"Callaway Café?" Lloyd asked, reading the sign overhead. He peered into the window. It was a small, but cozy looking place. They even had a fireplace - not a common thing in most modern cafés these days. Looking in, he saw the reason why Joe had brought him here. Meg and Sacchun were sitting at a small table in front of a large plant, sipping hot chocolate and chatting to each other, their conversation inaudible through the glass window.

"Let's go inside." Joe said in a quick whisper.

"You want to _spy _on them? Is that a good idea, Joe?" Lloyd asked.

"We're not _spying,_" Joe said, with an insulted tone in his voice. "We're _researching._ The best way to _research _is through first-hand experience. I'm sure some teacher said that at some point in time..." he said, thinking to himself.

"I'd be inclined to believe that," Lloyd said, "If I didn't know for a fact that you never listen in class."

"...Touché. But anyway, less talk, more action. Come on!" but before Lloyd could do anything, Joe had already entered Callway Café.

The inside brought a feeling of warmth and a soft aroma of chocolate and walnuts to their senses. They breathed in the rich atmosphere, feeling relaxed in this environment.

"Remind me to come back to this place when we're not on a research mission." Joe said to Lloyd. Lloyd nodded and they sat at a small table, in back of the large plant.

_Good. _Joe thought. _They didn't notice us come in. _He held up the menu in front of his face, pretending to be scanning it with interest.

"Well, now what?" Lloyd said in a hushed voice.

"Just be quiet, and drink in every word they take." Joe said, keeping his gaze fixed on the menu in front of him. Unfortunately, Meg and Sacchun's conversation was quite low, so they still couldn't hear much. They did however, hear Sacchun giggle. Lloyd saw the top of Joe's head surface from behind the menu, clearly straining his eyes to see what the girls were giggling at. He immediately saw their eyes locked on a boy with a babyish face and golden locks behind the counter of the Café.

"Isn't that Carl?" Joe said softly. Lloyd turned his head around so that he could see the counter. It was indeed Carl, the very same Carl who attended Flowerbug High.

"I didn't know he works here." Joe said.

"Didn't he say something about his parents owning a Café? Maybe this is it?" Lloyd pondered.

"Maybe." Joe said, then went back to looking at the Menu. "Damn, I wish I had brought some cash, the stuff here sounds good..." he said, realising that he was quite hungry. A girl with orange hair that fell to the sides of her face in an odd, rolled breadstick kind of fashion, held together by two black bows. She was wearing a peculiar outfit for a waitress - it looked like a cross between a french maid's outfit and some weird gothic lolita clothing.

"Hiii!" she said in a high-pitched voice. "I'm Katie. I'll be your waitress! What can I do for you this evening?" she asked, holding a pad of paper in one hand and a blue pen in the other.

"Uh, well, acctually..." Lloyd started, staring into her face. Then he realised that she too, was from Flowerbud High. Katie was acctually the head cheerleader of the Flowerbud Squad. She seemed young, but was a very capable young woman.

"..Yes?" she said slowly.

"Oh Sorry, I was just saying, we don't really have enough --" Lloyd was cut off.

"What my friend was saying was... We're not really here for food." Joe said. Lloyd looked at Joe, and realised that the look on his face was one of attraction. He was looking into Katie's face, admiring her flawless skin and rosy cheeks.

"You're Katie, right?" Joe asked.

"Uh... Yes. I just said that, acctually." she said, sounding mildly amused.

"Oh, Oh! Right, sorry." Joe said, embarassed. Lloyd snickered to himself. _Smooth, Joe, Smooooth._

"Anyway, since you go to Flowerbud High, and you're in my french class --"

"Oh! I remember you now!" she said suddenly.

"You do?" Joe asked eagerly, sitting up in his seat.

"Yes! You were the guy who asked our teacher if there was such thing as a Baguette Ninja..." she said, her eyebrows raised, as if it had been incredibly stupid. Which it was. Joe looked like he had been shot down before even trying. Which he, in a way, just had been.

"Right, uh, I was just goofing around." He tried to explain himself.

"Joe's good at that." Lloyd added in, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Err.. Anyway, I was just wondering if you had any plans for the Starry Night Ball?" he asked her, feeling himself start to sweat. A few seconds passed, but they felt like years to Joe.

"Well, acctually I --" suddenly, Katie was cut off by the large plant behind them that had fell over. She jumped back just in time for it to miss her, but the plant fell to the ground, the dirt from the pot spilling on the ground.

"_Eeeeeek!_" she yelped. Several heads in the café turned to see what the commotion was about.

"Ugh, how did that happen?!" Joe asked, getting to his feet to help Katie with the plant. Lloyd, however, stared ahead of him. With the plant gone, He could clearly see Sacchun and Meg, and they could clearly see him. He saw a glint of mischief in Sacchun's eyes as she watched Katie pick up the plant and scoop up the dirt.

_Wait, was she behind this...?_ Lloyd thought suddenly. _Was it possible that... She knew we were here the whole time?!_

"Oh, thankyou so much!" Katie said, as Joe helped her with the plant.

"Heh, no biggie. I didn't expect that, that's for sure. So uh..." he didn't need to ask again.

"I'd love to go with you to the ball! You seem like a cute guy. How about we have lunch together tomorrow, to get to know each other more?" she asked, her cheeks blushing. Joe nodded absently, and she gave him her phone number and e-mail.

"Anyway, I have to go back to work! See you!" she said, waving and running off. Joe's feet carried him out of the café and Lloyd followed quickly. Staring in the sky, snow still falling, Joe raised his hands and yelled triumphantly.

"_I HAVE A DAAAAAAAATE!!!!"_

---

Still sitting in the comfort of the Callway Café, Sacchun fumed. Her attempt did not work. Joe was going out with Katie.

"That sucks, what will you do now?" Meg asked, slightly afraid of Sacchun's seething.

"Hmph. He think he can out-maneuver me? _Two _can play at this game." she said, getting to her feet. Striding over to the counter, she approached Carl.

"Hi Carl." she said in a tone sweeter than honey.

"H-Hey Sacchun." he said absently.

"You're such a hard worker. I admire that in a guy." Sacchun flirted.

"U-Um... Thank you!" he said, his face turning red.

"How would you like to accompany me," she held his warm hand to her chest. "To the Starry Night Ball?" Before Carl could respond, Sacchun saw the answer in his face: _Yes! Hell yes!_

"Y-Yeah... That sounds great!" Carl said, his eyes looking determined yet looking like he was about to faint. Sacchun let his hand down on the counter, and walked outside. Meg followed quickly. She saw that Joe and Lloyd had already left. Crossing her arms, she started to walk home in the snow.

_How do you like that, Joe? _she thought triumphantly, without quite realising what she had just done.


	18. On a Snowy Saturday

**// Author's Note: **Well, well, I have to admit I'm _very _happy. I finally got (over) 50 reviews!! Thanks a lot to everybody who's read and reviewed my fanfic, and all the nice comments and lengthy reviews people make. It means a lot more to me than you would think! I had no idea that only at 18 chapters my story would be this popular. I love you all:D Anyway. More Starry Night antics build up in this chapter. Chapter 19, after this one, will take place on the same day, just featuring different characters and what happened to them on _their_ snowy saturday. Just as I predicted, the previous chapter has given people a lot to speculate about. I won't say anything about who's with who, so you'll just have to wait it out till we find out :).

The Starry Night ball chapter is going to be a fun one indeed. **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 18: On a Snowy Saturday

That weekend, more snow had fallen. There were a few inches of snow on the ground, prompting students to get out their winter boots and gloves. Already, there had been a few snowball fights break out at school, and everyone seemed to be excited for winter. That would change, eventually, when the blistering cold winds hit them and everyone had colds and wished for winter to be over - but for the moment, everyone was enjoying it.

Lloyd yawned lazily, still in pyjamas, his hair ruffled up from sleep. He flipped through the channels, in search of something good to watch on a Saturday morning. Suddenly, he heard an odd grunt come from Joe's room. Lloyd dismissed it, but heard it again after a few minutes.

"Joe?" he called, getting up from the couch.

"Rrng. One second." he said, sounding frustrated. Ringo had followed Lloyd to Joe's door, and pushed it until it swung open.

"Ah!" Joe said in surprise. Lloyd stared for a minute. Joe was in front of his mirror, attacking his hair with a comb as if trying to straighten it. A look of grim realisation spread over Lloyd's face.

"Ohh, I forgot... Your big date with Katie is today." he said, with an amused grin.

"It's not a big date! It's just a get-to-know-each-other-before-the-ball date!" Joe argued.

"Sure, whatever you want to call it." Lloyd said. "Where are you guys going anyway?"

"Just to the Perch Diner." he said, struggling to put his socks on. "Apparently Katie loves the food there."

"Already know her favourite food, huh? Should I get the Blue Feather ready?" Lloyd teased.

"Why are you bugging me?" Joe whined.

"Because... you have a date, and I don't!" Lloyd said honestly.

"That's not my fault." Joe pointed out. Lloyd knew he was right. Though still, the idea of Joe going out on a date was still pretty amusing.

"So what time is it?" Joe asked. Lloyd turned his head around to check the clock in the kitchen.

"11:15." he said.

"Good, that means I can run out and get her a gift - something small, just for our first date." Joe said, more to himself than to Lloyd.

"You really like this Katie, don't you?" Lloyd asked.

"Well It's my first date in a while. I don't want to screw it up." he said flatly.

"True. And if you play your cards right, she won't dump you before the ball!" Lloyd teased.

"Har, Har. I'm perfectly capable of courting a girl such as Katie." Joe told him.

"Good luck, anyway." Lloyd patted him on the back as he left the apartment. He caught a glimpse of Joe sticking out his tongue before the door closed between them.

Yawning again, Lloyd went to fill up Ringo's food bowl. He ducked behind the counter to open the cupboard where they kept the bag of dog food. Pulling out, he realised it was emptier than he first thought.

"Looks like we're going to need a refill." he said, smiling apologetically at Ringo as he gave him a pet on the head. Ringo barked and sniffed the empty bag.

"I'll go get some. Come on, let me get your leash and you can come too. It'll be fun, right, Ringo?" he said, staring into the beady eyes of his pet dog.

"... Why are you talking to a dog?" a voice called from behind him. Lloyd fell over on the kitchen floor and turned to see Meg, standing in his doorway.

"Meg!" he exclaimed. He didn't hear her open the door. She laughed.

"Sorry 'bout that. Anyway, I have to go do some shopping, wanna come with? I was going to ask Joe, but I guess he's not here." Meg said, even though she knew exactly where he was.

"Oh yeah, he... went out for lunch with a friend." Lloyd half-lied.

_Right. A 'friend'._ Meg thought to herself. "That's okay."

"Let me just get dressed, and then we can go to Azure Street." he said, getting up off the ground. He walked to his room and closed the door. When he came back out, fully clothed, Meg was sitting on the couch, playing with Ringo.

"We'll bring the little guy along." Lloyd said, picking up his leash off the ground.

"I know, I heard." Meg said with an amused smile.

"Haha... You know, I'm sure they can understand us." Lloyd told her.

"It's possible! Did you hear that story about those dogs that some neighbours used to deliver stuff between themselves, and taught them which house to go to and everything?" Meg asked as Lloyd tied the leash around his dog.

"That'd be useful." Lloyd said. They got up and left the small apartment room and walked downstairs.

"So where's Sacchun today?" Lloyd asked, as they swung the main doors open, a gust of cold air hitting them squarely in the face.

"She's ..." Meg hesitated, pulling her coat tighter around her. "... At the movies with a friend." she lied. Lloyd wondered if Joe wasn't the only one going on a secretive date, and that perhaps more had gone on at Callaway Café than he or Joe knew.

"Oh." Lloyd said simply, getting the feeling that he wasn't the only one lying.

---

"That'll be $5.50 all together." The man said, at a small hot chocolate booth in Azure Street. Lloyd took one cup and handed it to Meg, and took the other in his hand. They walked through the street slowly, stopping at some shops to look in. Azure Street was starting to get into the Christmas mood. They could see some wreaths hanging from street lamps and many of the naked trees on the street were laced with colourful lights. Some stores had even put on old Christmas tunes. Meg and Lloyd conversed cheerfully in this pre-Christmas atmosphere, enjoying their hot chocolate and each others' company. Soon, however, the unavoidable topic came up.

"So... have a date for the Starry Night Ball?" Meg asked, as if she had restrained from asking about it for a long time.

"Uh... nope. Not yet. Still single. How about you?" Lloyd said bashfully.

"Mm..." Meg sipped her hot chocolate.

"Well?" Lloyd pressed.

"Well... yeah..." she said slowly. Her face, already red from the cold, turned even redder.

"So who's the lucky guy?" Lloyd laughed, feeling slightly bitter, realising that he was the only one without a date between him, Joe, Meg, and Sacchun. Well, at least Kurt was still single. That he could count on.

"...Uh... Kurt." she said in a small voice.

"Sorry?" Lloyd asked, sure the wintery wind had distorted what she said.

"Kurt. Kurt Daggett." she said, her face looking so red it could've given off heat.

_Great. _Lloyd thought to himself. _Now I really am the only single guy! _

"That's... That's great!" Lloyd forced a smile. He knew he should be happy for Meg. She had had a crush on Kurt since, well, forever. It was good that she was finally getting a chance to spend some special time with him.

"So," Meg said, trying to change the subject. "Got your sights on anyone?"

"Eh, not really. There's no one in particular I'd like to take..." Lloyd said, thinking to himself. It felt kind of odd, now that he thought about it, that he didn't really have a crush on anyone in Flowerbud High. Except for that small crush on Gwen he had had last year, but he was fairly sure that little crush had long since extinguished.

"What about Ann?" Meg offered, as they sat down on a bench to finish their hot chocolate.

"Nah, she's too ... uh... tomboyish. I mean I get the feeling she's almost more hardcore about building and sports and stuff than even I am. I can't even imagine her going to a ball." Lloyd told her, thinking it over.

"Erica or Amber? They're cute."

"I barely know them. Well Erica and I were friends during middle school, but not so much anymore." Lloyd said, mentally taking them off his potential-date list.

"Mary?"

"You know, she's not really my type. Plus I heard she was going with Rick anyway..."

"You know, Lloyd," Meg said with a sincere smile. "You really are too picky for your own good." she threw away her cup of hot chocolate in a garbage can next to them. Lloyd knew on some level, that Meg was completely right.

"Anyway, can we stop at the Blue Sky Pet shop? I still need to get some food for Ringo."

"Sure, I'll get some for Momo while I'm there anyway." Meg said, as they crossed the street to the Blue Sky Pet Shop. They entered the quaint little store, instantly feeling warmer. The small bell rang above them as they opened the door and closed it. Shaking off any snow on their boots on the mat, they looked around.

"Hmm..." Lloyd said, wondering. Hank wasn't at the counter like he was upon his last visit. He noticed a small brass bell on the counter and pushed it. As the small ringing floated to the back room, a girl with short brown hair came walking out. Ellen.

"Hiya!" she said cheerfully, as if the sky was blue and the sun was shining merrily. She seemed like the kind of person that could was constantly positive and optimistic, regardless of the circumstances.

"Hi Ellen." Lloyd said.

"Lloyd! What can I do for you?" she asked eagerly.

"Just needed some more of that dog food, please?" he asked, pulling out his wallet. Ellen nodded with a wink and disappeared into the back room to fetch some.

"So? What about Ellen, then?" Meg whispered to him.

"Oh, I don't know. I doubt she'd be interested." Lloyd said doubtfully.

"Oh come on! Give yourself a bit more credit! You can be a charming young man when you're not trying too hard." Meg said, smiling encouragingly.

"Gee, Thanks. I think." Lloyd said, raising his eyebrows at his blonde friend. _Maybe it could work out... they weren't entirely strangers, and they knew each other quite well from Biology classes._

"Just go for it. Ask her when she comes back." Meg pressed.

"Well, I guess I could. It'd be nice anyway... and at this rate, I'll never get a date."

"That's right! You have to be assertive and handle this situation like a man! Besides, she totally has a crush on you. I can tell." Meg winked.

"I doubt that." Lloyd said, his doubt creeping back into his mind.

"Truu_uuuu_st me. Call it a woman's intuition, if you will." she said in a hurried whisper, hearing footsteps.

"Just go for it." Meg said in his ear. Ellen walked back out, holding an identical bag of dog food to the one that she had first given him.

"Th-Thanks, Ellen." Lloyd said, realising he suddenly felt like he had a huge lump in his throat that was impossible to swallow. Meg began humming to herself and tapping her foot, delibrately stepping on Lloyd's as she did so.

"Ah... Uh.. El-Ellen." Lloyd said, thinking to himself. _Be assertive. You can do this. Don't back down now!_ but other whispers of fear and nerves were trying to overtake his confidence.

"I was just wondering do you have d-d-da-da..." he was about to finish his sentence, when the door opened behind them. The small bell overhead rang, and in came a red-faced, snow-covered Gwen. The lump in Lloyd's throat seemed to enlarge as he saw Gwen shake the snow out of her blonde ponytail.

_No. _Lloyd thought defiantly. _I'm over her. _He tried to block any resurfacing feelings of infatuation. _No! _he thought louder. This was probably the worst possible time something like this could happen. Meg was looking expectedly at Lloyd, waiting for him to say something.

"Hey Meg, Hey Lloyd!" Gwen greeted as she approached the counter. "Hi Ellen!"

"Hiya Gwen!" Ellen waved cheerfully. "Need some more food for John?" she asked, fumbling under the counter for a huge bag of dog food.

"Oh, uh, Gwen.. Hi." Lloyd stammered. "I didn't know you had a dog." he gestured to the bag of dog food, trying to make conversation.

"Yeah, I do! He's a big guy, named John. And who's this little fella?" she kneeled down to pet and caress Ringo.

"That's Ringo, a dog that Joe and I are keeping." Lloyd said, determined to keep the conversation going. Meg stepped rather fiercely on his foot, and gave him a _What-are-you-doing?! _look. Lloyd turned to Ellen.

"So ah... What was it you wanted to ask me?" Ellen asked, tilting her head to her side. He had not expected Gwen to be watching.

"I ... umm... I just wanted to ask you if you... Well, wanted to come with me to the Starry Night Ball." he said the last part very quickly. He stared intently at the brass bell on the counter, not daring to look up and see the look on Ellen's face. His heart was beating unusually fast. The lump in his throat had shrunk, but was still painfully present.

"I'm sorry, am I interru--" Gwen started.

"_Shhhh!_" Meg cut her off, without intending to be rude.

"Lloyd... I don't quite know how to tell you this..." Ellen said in a soft and slow voice. Lloyd found himself looking up, and was surprised to see that her face was red and slightly flushed. "But... I..."

He heard Gwen cough in the background.

"I've... I've had a crush on you for the longest time!" she finally said, exhaling almost immediately afterwards. Lloyd looked at her.

"So... is that a y--"

"Yes! I'll go with you Lloyd!" she said, her mouth curling into one of the biggest smiles he had ever seen. Suddenly Lloyd felt like a weight had been lifted off his back and wings had grown in its place.

"Y...Yes! That's awesome, Ellen." He said, giving her a half-hug over the counter.

"So, uhh...Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow, maybe?" Lloyd smiled sheepishly, knowing he sounded lame. Meg walked him out of the small pet shop, dog food in hand, and let out a cheer once they left.

"Yes! Go Lloyd! Now you can come with us all the ball! This'll be great!" she exclaimed. She wanted to embrace her friend, but decided against it, seeing as he was going with Ellen.

"Well... It sure is a lot off my mind." Lloyd said, happily, without feeling the cold specs of snow falling on his flushed face.

"Let's go back home and celebrate with a Smash Bros. Marathon!" Meg suggested, in an almost Joe-esque fashion.

"Sounds good." Lloyd said, running off after her, fully aware but not at all caring that he had not payed for the dog food that he was now carrying.

---

"Here you are, Ellen." Gwen said, sounding suddenly tired, as she dropped some money onto the counter and grabbed the bag.

"Thankyou Gwen!" Ellen said with twice the enthusiasm that she normally had. Gwen put her boots on, held the bag of food in one hand and turned to leave the store.

Ellen swore she could see a hint of sad regret in Gwen's face as the door swung closed behind her and she left into the snowy street.


	19. The First Date is always Eventful

**// Author's Note: **Wow... all I can say is wow. I didn't expect such a huge amount of reviews! I didn't know so many people liked my story, but I'm so happy to hear that you all do. Since so many people have been enjoying my story, it just makes me want to write it even more! I enjoy writing it when I know that It makes people happy :). Admittedly, the hardest part about writing Harvest High! is probably the fact that I try to keep it up to date with the real world - I'm sure some of you noticed this. The Haunted High chapter lining up with Halloween, the Harvest Festival lining up with (the canadian) Thanksgiving, etcetera. So yeah, for those wondering, the Starry Night Ball will be around Christmas time, and hopefully will be a great chapter.

I know that's been the overall topic of these chapters, but yeah, it _is _a pretty big deal. I know some people have been enjoying all the romantic stuff, so here's another romanticy chapter. I promised myself to keep my lips zipped about who really likes who and all that, but I can tell you now that most of the couples in the story may or may not be permanent... Yeah, I know, that was very vague and probably didn't tell you anything, but just remember that this is a High School fanfiction, and that any couplings are possible, so don't be too surprised if I make some odd couples. Also, since people have been wondering, almost all MM characters should be in this story eventually, and still some more MT characters as well. As for Jamie... I haven't decided if he'll be in it yet! Haha. Anyway, I'll stop ranting now. Enjoy the chapter! Sorry it's not as long as my past ones, but I liked where I ended it. It keeps people wanting more:) **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 19: The First Date is always Eventful

Running to Perch Diner, a box of Pocky in his hand, Joe hoped he wasn't late. He had forgotten to wear his watch as he was leaving the room, and regretted it now. His urge to get to the diner in time had driven any nervous thoughts out of his mind, something he was partially greatful for. He had decided to get Katie some Pocky, rather than the traditional _first date _chocolate He remembered how much he had enjoyed it the first time he tried it, and hoped Katie would love it as much as he did.

_"You hafta try these!" Sacchun had said, as they were going through a small shop with japanese foods and snacks on Azure Street. She pulled a box with japanese writing on it off a shelf and showed it happily to Joe._

_"What... are they?" Joe asked, looking at the small pink box curiously._

_"Pocky." Sacchun said with a huge smile. "My mom used to buy these for me all the time. They're like light sticks of cookie... wrapped in chocolate! But they have other flavours too, like strawberry, coconut, and more..." _

_"Sounds good, let's buy some!" he said enthusiastically. After paying for the small pink box of Chocolate Pocky, they left the store together, and Sacchun opened the box immediately._

_"Ah... brings back memories." she said with a nostalgic smile. She pulled out a stick of Pocky and handed it to Joe._

_"First-timers have to go first." she said. Joe went to take it from her hand._

_"Ah-ah! My mother always used to do this. The first one has to be fed to you by hand. The first stick of Pocky always tastes better that way." she smiled craftily. "Say 'Ahh!'"_

_ Joe opened his mouth, embarassed, as Sacchun fed him the first stick of Pocky. It really was good - it had the great taste of a cookie, in the light texture of a stick. It would revolutionize the cookie world! _

_"I like it!" he exclaimed, helping himself to another stick of Pocky from the box. Sacchun looked at him happily._

_"I knew you would." she said, with a twinkle in her eyes._

Joe's daydreaming was interrupted as he heard a car honk loudly, and realised he was standing in the middle of the street, the Perch Diner right accross from where he stood.

"Uh.. Woops." Joe said out loud, running out of the traffic. Sacchun had completely left his mind now. He ran up the stairs to the Perch Diner and swung the doors open. Katie waved to him from a table she was at. The Perch Diner wasn't an average trashy diner, it acctually _was _a full-fledged restaurant, complete with waiters and waitresses. The only reason it was still called Perch Diner was because it originally had been a diner, but within the past few years it had been expanded to a full restaurant. The restaurant had posh magenta coloured walls, and a maroon carpeting. It was dimly lit by the lights on the wall, and each table was covered with a clean white table cloth and had a small vase of Pink Cat flowers in the center. The Restaurant was playing a soft accoustic instrumental of 'White Christmas' overhead, coming from the speakers in the ceiling. There was tinsel and holly decorating the walls of Perch Diner, setting the mood quite well.

Joe walked over, slipping out of his coat and putting it behind his chair. He took a seat, greeting Katie, who was smiling pleasantly, her eyes focusing intently on Joe's every action.

"I'm glad you made it! I was starting to get worried that you had gotten distracted at the arcade and went to play some ninja video games." she said, with a cat-like smile. Joe rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh, you heard about that, huh?" He wasn't surprised that she had.

"Haha, it's okay. It's cute." she said, taking a sip of her water.

"I have to admit, I'm surprised you wanted to go on a date with me!" Joe said suddenly, wanting to relieve some of his nerves.

"Well why wouldn't I? You asked me out, were very sweet about it, and you're a cutie. Besides, you make me laugh!" she said, flipping her hair. Joe felt like he might melt. She was - for lack of any other word - _awesome. _

"Haha, well, you're cool too. It's not every day an average guy like me gets to go out on a date with a cheerleader." Joe said, smiling at her.

"Oh, so you found out I was a cheerleader?"

"Yeah. My friend Meg told me she had tried out for the squad last year, and that you were one of the judges." Joe explained.

"I see. So, you psyched for the Starry Night Ball?" Katie asked, bringing up the unavoidable topic these days.

"Heck yeah!! I've been waiting for it since, like, high school started!" Joe said enthusiastically.

"It's supposed to be really, really fun." she said, a look of yearning in her eyes.

"Well... I'm glad we're going together. I think it'll be enjoyable." he said, as the shock of acctually having a date to the ball once again hit him.

"I'm glad too." Katie smiled and blushed slightly. Joe knew things were going well. He had never acctually made a girl blush before! The waitress came and they ordered. Joe got a chicken pasta with primavera sauce, and Katie got a plate of quesadillas - basically several tortillas folded over with a filling of cheese, onions, spices, and chicken. It was acctually her favourite meal, but she made it clear that she loved sweet things also.

"Sweet things, huh?" Joe said, reaching into the pocket of his coat. "Then before I forget, I got you this." he said, pulling out the small box of Pocky.

"Pocky!" Katie said happily. "I've heard of it, but never tried it."

"You'll love it." Joe assured her.

"Then let's share it." Katie said, blushing again.

"What?" Joe said, taken aback.

"Let's share it... If it's as good as I hear it is, I'd like to share it with someone." Katie said sweetly. Joe felt the urge to melt into a puddle of liquid again as she stared at him with her big, sweet, Katie-eyes.

"Sure." he said, as she opened the box. "But... First timers have to go first." he said, as Katie pulled a stick of Pocky out.

"Oh, and ..." he took the piece from her hand. "...The first stick of Pocky always tastes better when it's given to you from someone's hand!" he smiled cheerfully, and Katie giggled, opening her mouth.

Joe had a sudden idea. Katie's eyes were closed, and she was leaning forward, her mouth open. He put one end of the pocky in his mouth, and moved the other end to her mouth. She bit down, and ate it slowly. The taste of the sugary treat made Katie happy, but suddenly, another taste had overtaken it. It was the taste of... Joe's lips. She didn't dare open her eyes, but realised what he was trying to do. She smiled on the inside and kissed back. It was there first kiss. Joe felt Katie accept the kiss and had the urge to run into the streets screaming happily. He suppressed it with ease.

They only stopped when the waiter had arrived, carrying their food, and cleared his throat. Joe opened his eyes and broke apart from Katie, the next feeling going through his head was one of pain. He had collided right into the tray the waiter was holding. The tray tipped, and the plate of pasta slipped over and fell right onto his lap.

"_Aaagh!_" Joe groaned, as she hot pasta burned his legs. Some of the pasta sauce had flung onto the waiter's clothes as well. He waiter groaned in frustration, feeling his temper rise. "If you weren't busy _making out_ this could have been avoided!" he said, in what sounded like a strained voice. He was clearly resisting the urge to yell at the young couple.

"Sorry!" Joe said aggressively, scrubbing off the pasta with a napkin.

"This is a _restaurant, _not a _love shack!_" the waiter yelled.

"We'll keep that in mind the next time we're here. Which will be _never!_" Katie said, slamming her fists down on the table, and getting up. She put her maroon coat on and grabbed Joe and they walked out of Perch Diner together, without a second look at the place.

"The nerve of that guy!" Katie said fiercely as they walked down the stairs back into the busy street.

"We didn't have to leave, I know you loved that place." Joe said, feeling bad. Their lunch had been ruined.

"No, I'd rather have gone." Katie said firmly.

"What about the quesadi--mmphh!" Joe was caught off guard as Katie had flung herself towards him, planting her lips on his.

_Forget the quesadillas. _she thought to herself. _I've got something better in my mouth anyway. _She felt herself press her body into Joe's.

Joe kissed back, and they stood there making out as the snow fell around them. Some of the people passing by looked at them, but they didn't care. A few minutes later, they broke apart once again.

"Wow... that was... wow." Joe said, still stunned by Katie's forwardness. Katie seemed to be pleased with herself - and with Joe's kissing abilities. Everything was going well with her new boyfriend.

"Anyway... I still feel bad." Joe said sheepishly.

"Look, forget the lunch. How about we go catch a movie or something? They're playing some Ninja movie you would like." Katie said, holding Joe's hand as they walked down the street.

"That wouldn't be a bad idea." Joe said, though his insides did a kind of somersault. He was supposed to go see _Rise of the NinjArmy _with Sacchun - but he couldn't back out now. He didn't want their first date to be a complete failure.

"Then let's go!" Katie said happily, as they turned the corner and headed for the movie theater.

_Okay, _Joe thought. _This isn't a big deal. I'll just go see it again with Sacchun, and pretend I had never seen it before._ he thought to himself, hoping it would work out.

_She won't ever have to know._ he thought, with more confidence. _The worst thing that could happen would be to see her inside the movie theater! But the odds of that are like, one to a million!_ Joe thought, with a small smile.

Little did he know, as they walked to the movie theater, the odds were greatly against him that day.


	20. Ninjalicious Romance

**// Author's Note: **Wowza! Chapter 20! Exciting. I owe it to my readers. Without all of your support, I would never make it this far. This is the first fanfiction I've ever gotten this far in! I'm so proud. Of course, I hope this chapter is to your liking. Also, a shout out to Sobi15, one of my friends who reads Harvest High! _religiously_. She has an awesome fanfic going on right now, "What I Never Thought Would Happen", a constant source of inspiration because Sobi's writing style is _beyond awesome._ I highly reccomend it, especially if you like my fanfic.

So... enjoy Chapter twenty! **End Author's Note //**

Characer Notes

Lucy Clifford : Lucy is one of my original characters, expect to see more of her in following chapters.

Chapter 20: Ninjalicious Romance

"Hmmm..." Carl said, as he and Sacchun were waiting in line to buy their movie tickets. However, they still hadn't decided on what movie to watch.

"Oooh, how about that one?" Carl said eagerly, pointing to a bright poster of a girl sitting on a bench with multicolored leeaves around her.

"_Autumn's Epilogue?_" Sacchun snorted, looking incredulous. _What a fruity movie!_

"Well I heard it's supposed to be really good!" Carl said defensively.

"I bet it is." Sacchun said dryly.

"Fine. Then how about that one? It looks like a movie you might like." Carl pointed to another poster - red, black, and filled with the silhouettes of ninjas.

"Rise of the NinjArmy." Carl read out loud. Sacchun felt a twinge of uncomfort as she realised she was supposed to see that movie with Joe. _It doesn't matter, though._ she thought to herself. _Serves him right for going out with that skank... and anyway, if worst comes to worst, i'll just go see it with him and pretend I've never seen it before._

"Sure, fine." Sacchun said, as they arrived at the ticket booth.

"Two for Rise of the NinjArmy." Carl said, taking out his wallet.

"No, Carl, I'll pay." Sacchun said, stepping in front of him, digging into her purse.

"N-No, that's okay, Sacchun." Carl said timidly. He blushed.

"No, no, I'll have no boy paying for my movie tickets." Sacchun said firmly, paying for their tickets. The lady behind the glass looked at them with an amused smile, and handed them their tickets.

"Enjoy the movie." she said, as the next people walked up. Sacchun and Carl walked into the main room of the theatre - a large circular room, one side with a huge concessions store, and the other with many doors leading to many different cinemas.

"I feel bad for not paying, Sacchun." Carl said as Sacchun zipped up her purse.

"Like I said, I'll have no boy paying for my movie tickets." she repeated. "...Snacks, however, is a different story." she smiled sneakily, and steered Carl over to the concessions store.

"Oh, Eheheh." Carl chuckled as he pulled out his wallet again.

"Now then... a large popcorn - we can share that - a blue ice slushie for me, a small bag of BBQ chips, some sour candy, those chocolate covered almonds, and some of those cinnamon sticks there." Sacchun pointed out her entire request and Carl seemed to droop with each item added to the list.

Regretfully, he emptied his wallet onto the counter to pay for Sacchun's miniature feast.

"Oh, that reminds me," Sacchun started. "Do you guys have ... Hmm... Pocky?" she asked hopefully.

"Huh? What's that?" the lazy teenage boy working their asked.

"Er... Nevermind." Sacchun waved and walked off, Carl stumbling after her holding all her concessions.

"Come on Carl, the movie isn't going to wait for you to catch up!" she said impatiently, tapping her foot. She wheeled around to see Carl struggling with the weight of all the stuff he had to carry.

"Oh, wait, you... Let me help you out." Sacchun said, with a pitying look on her face. She took the drink from him and started sipping it from its white, transparent straw.

"There you go, hunny!" she said with a satisfied smile, as they entered a Cinema with a big neon '8'-sign above it.

---

Joe and Katie escaped the cold winter into the theater, hand in hand. Joe playfully shook the snow out of Katie's breadstick-hair-roll-curls - he didn't know what else to call them - and they proceeded to buy tickets. Joe felt a twinge of guilt as he bought the ticket from the lady.

"Oh, Katie," he said, suddenly remembering they were on a date. "Should I buy your ticket too, or...?"

"No no, It's okay, you wanted to pay for the lunch." she said, forking out money.

"Yeah, but the lunch was a dud. I didn't even pay." Joe pointed out.

"It's the thought that counts." Katie smiled.

"Er... Katie, no offense, but if money could be replaced by kind thoughts the world would be a _much _better place."

Katie laughed, and had the sudden urge to embrace Joe in a bone-crushing hug. She resisted. There would be plenty of time to kiss, fondle, and do god knows what in the darkness of the cinema.

"Heheh... Anyway, shall we get some snacks? Those _I'll _pay for." Joe said, looping his arm with Katie's as they walked into the cinema's lobby.

"I've never been one to turn down movie snacks!" she said, as they made their way over to the conessions store. Buying some candy and a regular sized bag of popcorn each, the young couple checked their tickets.

"Cinema 8." Katie said.

"Shall we?" Joe asked. Katie nodded and they were off to Cinema 8. As they entered the cinema, they got seats right at the back, where the screen wouldn't glare down on them and they would be free to make out as they pleased.

"Comfourtable?" Joe asked as he took off his coat. Katie took hers off too.

"Yep."

A lame preview started, for a new movie.

"Ugh, how lame is that?" Joe felt like retching. It was a chick-flick romance that looked like the fruitiest thing ever.

"It looks sweet!" Katie argued.

_Yeah, sweet like vomiting up expired candy, I guess._ Joe thought, but refrained from voicing his thought.

"Hey, Look at that..." Katie said suddenly, pointing to something scribbled on the back of the seat in front of them. Joe stared at it.

_KaReN's Property, Yo!_

Katie laughed. "Wow... I wonder if anyone's noticed it yet."

"Leave it to Karen to claim her seat in a movie theater." Joe smiled.

"Are you friends with her?" Katie asked suddenly, as the preview continued to play.

"Not really. I mean, we don't hate each other, but we don't hang out much either." Joe shrugged. "Why, are you?"

"Oh, I try to stay out of those popularity clashes. Buuuut... Well, I don't like Karen much. She's too much of an alcoholic." she said, rolling her eyes.

"She's really nice though."

"I like Gwen better, truthfully." Katie said.

"Weren't you friends with one of Karen's friends a while ago?" Joe asked, suddenly remembering Katie hanging around a girl who always hung around with Karen.

"Oh, Lucy Clifford? The one with long dark purple hair?" Katie asked.

"Yeah! She's in my French class." Joe remarked.

"Yeah, we used to be best friends. She was a cheerleader with Nina and me. Well now, obviously, we don't hang out much. We got into a fight but... we don't have to talk about that now, do we?" Katie said, as the lights dimmed for the movie to start.

"No, it's okay." Joe said hastily, not wanting to touch on a subject Katie didn't want to talk about. He knew Lucy Clifford was a friend of Karen's, was a drinker, was snobby, and was really, _really _rich to boot. Though, even with all these faults, she was still one of the most popular girls at Flowerbud High. A fact that seemed to _boggle _him. "Oooh, the movie's starting..."

The movie started, and continued. Katie seemed to get into it more than Joe thought she would, as the storyline _did _feature a small amount of romance between an assassin and a ninja princess.

"_Oh, Joshiru! I can't stand this anymore! Even if it means you must kill my father, I cannot stand to be away from you longer!"_ the woman on the screen cried, as the rain poured around them.

"_Sachiko, you must realise that we cannot be together..." _the assassin said in his deep, calm voice.

"This is soooo... coool!" Katie whispered to herself, her eyes twinkling. Joe was happy to see that Katie was enjoying it.

"_Then before you go... Let us share one last kiss._" the music suddenly turned into a string orchestra of romantic music, as animated flowers blossomed around the two characters. They shared a kiss.

"That is _sooo _touching..."

"Katie." Joe said, imitating the voice of the assassin. "Let us share one last kiss." he moved in and him and Katie were at it again. They were - as Manna would call it - regular tonguemonkeys. Suddenly, their making out was interrupted by a scream from further down in the theater.

"_NOOOO!_" yelled a girl with black pigtails. She was bouncing up and down and finally jumped up, knocking her popcorn over on a boy next to her with blonde locks.

"Is that... Ca-"

"YOU IDIOT!" the girl yelled. Joe felt a horrible sinking in his stomach. He knew who's voice it was. For a second, he thought Sacchun was yelling at him.

"DON'T YOU DARE KISS HER! YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO MURDER HEEEEER!" Sacchun yelled, throwing popcorn at the screen. It didn't make it, and just fell on the people in front of her.

"NOOOO! PRINCESS SACHIKO!" she yelled, as the princess fell over, the rain carrying her blood.

"_I'm sorry, my love. It had to be this way. What is truely more cruel? The war that our clans are waging, or our love, that was so strong?" _the assassin said, tears streaming down his face.

"YOU IDIOT! I'M GOING TO BEAT YOU UP!" she yelled. Joe felt himself snicker. Sacchun always got _way _too into movies. Of course, that was half the fun of going with her. He shrunk back into his seat, hoping she would not notice. He was not in danger of that, however, seeing as Sacchun was focusing too intently on the movie.

"Joe, isn't that Carl? And your friend? That girl who was in the Café?" Katie asked, shaking Joe's arm.

"Uh, yeah." Joe said sheepishly.

"Let's go say Hi to them!" Katie suggested, clearly thinking of having a double date.

"Look Katie, no offense, but now's really not a great time."

"Oh, because we're right in the middle of a movie! Right, stupid me." Katie laughed.

"Uh, sure, let's go with that." Joe said to himself. The last thing he wanted was for Sacchun to realise he was here with Katie. He had more or less disrupted their plans by coming to see the movie with her, and Sacchun was going to be disapointed. Wait... or would she? Suddenly, it hit Joe.

_That... That little... She came to see the movie without me!! She was ... urgh! How could she disrupt our plans?! I can't believe her! _Joe fumed to himself. He felt his insides boiling, and seemed to have forgotten that he was just doing the same thing she was.

"Joe, are you okay?" Katie asked, turning to him. Joe forced a cough.

"Errm, yeah, just have some popcorn stuck in my throat." he lied.

"Hehe, okay." Katie said, turning back to the movie. Joe barely focused on the rest of the movie. Between make-outs with Katie and Sacchun's many outbursts, he had a hard time keeping his eyes on the screen. By around her third outburst, their fellow movie-goers were starting to get annoyed with Sacchun. Some even threw popcorn at her. Joe smirked. It took a lot more to take down Sacchun once she got started.

"She really is... _loud, _isn't she...?" Katie whispered to him as Sacchun yelled in rage at the screen.

"_Shut up!" _they heard a voice further down say.

"MAKE ME!" Sacchun yelled. "YOU IDIOT, USE YOUR KATANA! NO! WHY DID YOU USE THE NINJA STAR?! YOU JUST KILLED ONE OF YOUR OWN SOLDIERS!"

"I'm surprised she hasn't been kicked out yet." Joe said truthfully, with a small chuckly. _It wouldn't be the first time._

"It doesn't matter. I'm not that interested in the movie anyway." Katie said, sounding bored.

"Aw, I thought you liked it." Joe said, suddenly confused.

"I'd rather spend the rest of this time..." Katie turned to him with a cat-like stare.

"Oh..." Katie pounced on him and they were once again making out. For such a small girl, Katie sure had a lot of... ferocity, when it came to making out. Joe liked that, though. It was enough to turn him on.

"I'm going to assume that that's a roll of breathmint candy in your pocket." Katie said, looking down at Joe's pants and blushing.

"Uhh... Yeah... I love my breathmints." He laughed sheepishly, "And I'll just assume that your top mysteriously unbuttoned itself."

"That's exactly what happened, and don't you question the magic of my blouse!" Katie put a finger to his lips, and in moments they were making out again.

"_Ewww... Mommy, look!"_ a little boy said, just a few seats below them. He was standing up on his seat, pointing at Joe and Katie making out at the back of the cinema.

"_Jimmy! Stop pointing, it's rude! And don't look, either._" his mother scolded him.

The rest of the movie passed in this harmony. Joe _so _did not complain. He stretched as he put on his coat and they exited the cinema, while the credits played. A few girls in front of him and Katie were crying.

"That was like, _sooo _sad." one girl said.

"I know! If that happened to me and my boyfriend..." the other girl continued.

"Uh... What happened? Why's everyone crying?" Katie asked Joe.

"Oh, just something about some assassin sacrificing himself for his love or something like that." Joe said. "I don't really know. I was... distracted."

"I hope you're not dissapointed."

"Are you kidding? That was the _best _movie date _ever_!" Joe exclaimed.

"Um... excuse me? You're kind of holding up the line. People would like to get out." said a familiar voice behind them.

"Oh, Sorry ma'am." Joe stepped to the side, then realised, with a wave of horror, who he was talking to.

"Hiya, Joe." Sacchun said, unblinkingly. She had a half-amused, half-slightly­-insane look on her face.

"H-H-H-Hiii Sacchun... g-great movie, huh?" He said, visibly trembling.

"Yes, yes it was. I guess you missed half of it, while you were making out with this _slu--_ slushie-drinking young woman." Sacchun said, refusing to blink.

"Yeah! Joe's a great kisser." Katie said, in an attempt to make friendly conversation. Joe groaned.

"Right, so... You don't mind, that I saw this movie, do you?" Joe asked, wanting to get the awkwardness out of the way as soon as possible.

"Huh, Joe? Why would she mind...?" Katie asked, tugging at his coat. Joe didn't answer. He didn't want to get Katie involved.

"Why _would _I mind, Joe?" Sacchun said, her face turning into one of calm indifference.

"Well, I mean, we were..." Joe wanted to get the message accross without sending any weird signals to Katie.

"Oh, Hi Katie!" Carl said suddenly, walking out of the cinema. _Thank the Goddess for well-timed fruit cake boys._ Joe thought silently to himself.

"Carl! I didn't know you were here! Did you like the movie?" Katie said, engaging in conversation with him. _Good timing, Carl._ Joe thought.

"Anyway, Sacchun..." he said in a quiet voice, almost a whisper. "I know we were supposed to see it together, but, well It's a long story. I had no choice!" Joe pleaded.

"It's okay Joe." Sacchun said coolly. "It doesn't bother me."

"It - _It doesn't?_"

"No, it's none of my business what you do on your time." Sacchun said, her eyes turning misty and expressionless.

"Sacchun, I'm so-"

"You don't need to appologize, Joe." Sacchun said. "You're going out with Katie, it's not a big deal."

"You're ... okay with it?" Joe asked uncertainly.

"Should I not be?" Sacchun asked, staring him in the eyes.

"...Er, right, anyway, I better go, Sacchun. Enjoy the rest of your --" he hesitated to call it a date. He shrugged and just walked off to join Katie, who smiled at him.

"That was fun. I have to get to work though, want to walk me?" Katie asked, batting her eyelashes.

"Sure..." Joe said, feeling dejected. It was Sacchun's indifference that bothered him the most. He would have preferred to be yelled at by Sacchun. He wished she would yell at him and smack him, not just... calmly accept it. Something about it seemed so wrong, he just didn't know what it was. Next thing he realised, his lips were locked with Katie's again. He held her tightly.

He sighed to himself, as he saw Sacchun walk slowly outside, Carl holding the doors open for her, grinning nervously.

"Oh, Sacchun..." he said in a small voice.

"What was that?" Katie asked, smiling up at him. He smiled back at her.

"Nothing..."


	21. Oh, What Holiday Fun

**// Author's Note: **Wow... Okay, this chapter is kind of weird. A lot of it is just short stories involving certain characters, and then the rest is just... random, drunk, Karen-ness. I don't know, it was like two in the morning when I wrote this and I was really tired so It was kind of weird.. xD But yeah. Expect next chapter to be a bit more ... sane. Also, keep in mind that any couples that are going to the Starry Night ball together aren't necessarily "official" couples. Meaning they might not be together when the story ends. Anyway, enjoy this random-esque chapter. **End Author's Note //**

Character Notes

Parsley Frampton : This is Parsley from STH, basically. Not Basil. Not Mary's dad. He is Parsley. Two different people. Keep that in mind.

Chapter 21: Oh, What Holiday Fun

With all the excitement of the Starry Night Ball coming up, the students had _almost _forgotten about Christmas, and all the holiday fun that was coming with it. Flowerbud High looked like a bomb of Christmas fundraising, songs, and decorations had exploded within its hallways. The snow had deffinitely piled up outside, and with Christmas came many exciting things to discuss. Whether it be what was happening over Christmas break, the upcoming midyear exams, what fundraisers they would have, what would happen at the Christmas concert, everyone seemed to be getting into the Christmas mood.

Sacchun was acctuallypublicly holding hands or walk around with Carl, something that surprised everyone. According to Meg, Sacchun had been a lot more reserved lately, and was a lot less hyper than she usually was. Dan gave up trying to hook up with girls before the ball, and was more than happy to go with Karen. Gwen had found a date - a big lug of a man by the name of Bob. He was a year older than her, and ... not too intelligent. What she saw in him, one could only imagine, but they seemed really into each other.

Sacchun was acctually _seen _publicly making out with Carl, something that surprised everyone. According to Meg, Sacchun had been a lot more reserved lately, and was a lot less hyper than she usually was. Dan gave up trying to hook up with girls before the ball, and was more than happy to go with Karen. Gwen had found a date - a big lug of a man by the name of Bob. He was a year older than her, and ... not too intelligent. What she saw in him, one could only imagine, but they seemed really into each other.

Mia had decorated the library, and had also found a date. Blue, more commonly known as Ellen's cousin. He wasn't the friendliest, but Mia said he was a real sweetheart once you got to know him. They decided to trust her on this.

Manna was holding daily poetry recitals, which was really just her standing on a crate of oranges in the main foyer with a beret on her head, chanting Christmas poems. Many of the teachers decided to get into the Christmas mood also, either wearing little Santa hats to class or handing out Christmas-themed assignments. Lloyd, Ellen, Eve, Katie and Mia were all working with their Biology teacher, Mr. Frampton - also known as Parsley - for some Christmas fundraisers for the less fortunate families. They had all volunteered to help, and so there they were, sitting in a spare classroom during their Lunch period, discussing fundraising ideas.

"I think, we should have a bake sale." Katie announced. "It's simple, but effective, and ensures a great treat for everyone!"

"She has a point." Ellen said, sitting next to Lloyd.  
"Or we could always try and get some famous author to come in and have a guest presentation in the Library. We could raise funds by asking people to buy tickets to come see the author." Mia suggested. Eve snorted.

"Well do you have a better idea, Eve?" Mia challenged, crossing her arms.

"I do, as a matter of fact." Eve leaned forward in her chair.

"Yes?" Parsley asked.

"We could have a... Kissing Booth!" Eve suggested, laughing. Lloyd and Ellen laughed also.

"Right... That would just go swimmingly." Mia said with an exasperated tone.

"...I was joking." Eve rolled her eyes. "But it's not too far off. We can have a _'Win-A-Date-With-Eve!'_ raffle!"

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" Ellen pointed out.

"Yeah, he won't mind." Eve said, without giving it a second thought. They all stared at her.

"...Oh please, I'm just kidding! I wouldn't degrade myself like that!" Eve said, annoyed at them.

"How about we have _'Guess How Many Books are in the Library'_ contest! They could pay to guess a random number, and whoever was closest can choose a free book from the Library to take home!" Mia said enthusiastically.

"These are all... very good ideas." Parsley said, nodding his head. "I don't know if we can accomplish all of them though. I like Katie's idea best, though - she's right. It's simple and effective. Mia, If you can get a hold of a guest author I'd me more than pleased to get in touch with them."

"I'll see what I can do, Mr. Frampton." Mia said, determined.

"Yeah! I'll start baking right after school." Katie said enthusiastically.

"Oh, could I help, Katie? I love baking." Ellen asked, turning to her. Katie agreed and Parsley dismissed the meeting. As they left to go enjoy the rest of their Lunch, Lloyd spotted Meg waiting outside.

"Hey Meg." Lloyd greeted.

"Hi Lloyd!" Meg said before quickly going off to talk to Katie. "Katie! I didn't get a chance to talk to you all day, so yeah, go on about ..." she and Katie began gossipping as they turned the corner. Lloyd had a funny feeling it most likely had to do with Joe's date.

_---_

_"So? How was it?" Lloyd had asked when Joe came back from his date on Saturday."Wooow. It was... hot." he said, seeming stunned. His bandana was off and stuffed in his pocket, and his hair was messy._

_"Acctually, It was quite chilly today." Lloyd teased._

_"Har har, you're a regular comedian. Anyway, Katie is one great kisser! We missed half the movie but I am so not complaining." Joe exclaimed with a huge smile. _

_"I'm glad everything worked out for you." Lloyd said, making himself some tea._

_"Aw, I'm sorry man. I Forgot you were still single." Joe gave his friend a one-armed hug._

_"Acctually," Lloyd said, grinning. "Ellen and I hooked up at the pet shop today. We're going to the ball together." _

_"WOO! That's great! Now we both have a date! If only we could get Kurt to find a date, the three of us could go together. Almost like a triple date!" _

_"Well... Kurt does have a date." Lloyd said slowly._

_"Who? Who is it?" Joe pressed._

_"Someone we know very well." Lloyd said, drawing it out for as long as he could._

_"...Well? Tell me!" Joe said eagerly._

_"...Well, she's a girl." Lloyd said, thoroughly enjoying this._

_"Yes, I figured. I think I'd know if my own brother was gay." Joe said, exasperated._

_"... And she plays Violin..." Lloyd continued._

_"Oh god! Dia?! The ice-queen?!" Joe exclaimed in horror, wondering if Kurt and Dia were meant to be like Romeo and Juliet._

_"No!! I meant Meg!" Lloyd said quickly._

_"MEG! Hahahah!" Joe laughed loudly. "That's too good! She's had a crush on him since like... forever ago!"_

_"Yep." Lloyd smiled, drinking his tea._

_"Well, it looks like everything is going to go well at the Starry Night Ball!" Joe said happily, pushing the surfacing thoughts of Sacchun to the back of his mind._

---

"Hehehe, he is _such _a great kisser." Katie told Meg excitedly.

"Is he really? I always thought he'd be kind of _doggish _at kissing, you know, like licking your face like a content puppy or something." Meg laughed.

"Oh no way! You'd think he's kissed all his life the way he does it."

"Wow... I never knew he was that experienced. I wonder how that happened to the bashful, clumsy, tactless Joe that I've known!" Meg said with an amused yet curious smile.

"So how's the practicing for the music concert going?" Katie asked.

"It's... well, okay, honestly, It's _a lot _of work. But heh, I guess that's to be expected. We're playing like eleven pieces this year." Meg said, sounding tired.

"Yikes. Violin is one of the hardest instruments to play... It must be draining."

"You have _no _idea." Meg said, rubbing her head.

"And Mrs. Melodia? What's she like?" Katie asked, as they stopped at Meg's locker to get her lunch money.

"Working us like mad. She might seem really nice and caring but her passion for music is only equaled by her determination to make us love it as much as her." she sighed.

"At least you'll have winter break to take a break from all of it." Katie pointed out, as they headed for the Lunch Dome.

"Yeah..."

---

Lloyd walked out of the Lunch Dome and was heading to his locker. He had promised Gwen he would help her study for their upcoming biology preparation test, to prepare for their midyears coming after Christmas break. He got out his Biology stuff and proceeded to a spare Biology classroom, where they said they would meet. Lloyd wondered if there were any chances of anything happening, between him and Gwen, alone, in a biology classroom. He shook his head, as if to rid his mind of these thoughts.

_I'm over her. _he told himself again. _I'm totally and completely over her. Besides, I'm going to the ball with Ellen. Ellen. Ellen! _he mentally yelled at his brain. He continued to walk, until he had reached the spare biology classroom. He peered inside. Gwen was leaning against one of the walls, awaiting his arrival.

"Hey Gwen." he said, walking and taking a seat at the first desk in the first row. Gwen moved the desk next to it over, so that they were next to each other, and sat down.

"Hi Lloyd! Sorry you have to give up your lunch time for this... I uh... I'm not the best in biology." she said, rubbing the back of her head.

"That's okay. Heck, Biology's one of the few classes I'm acctually good at." Lloyd laughed. Gwen did so as well.

"So what exactly don't you understand?" Lloyd asked, opening his books. Gwen flipped the pages for him to page one-seventy-one.

"I just don't get this whole ... pressure thing." she said, pointing at a diagram of the lungs.

"Well you see, Gwen, when the oxygen goes into your lungs, the volume increases, since they fill the alveoli. The pressure in your lung decreases, though. The oxygen _in _the lung equalizes it. And when you breathe out, it's the opposite. The oxygen leaves your lung and goes into your pleura - that's this thing -" he pointed to the membrane surrounding the lung on the diagram. " - and the pressure equalizes."

Gwen said nothing and stared at him.

"...Get it?" Lloyd asked uncertainly.

"...Huh? Oh wow, I'm sorry. I spaced out." she said, shaking her head.

"Haha, that's okay, I do it all the time." Lloyd said, with a small, tiny, twinge of exasperation. "Anyway..." he explained the whole thing again. Gwen still didn't get it. Lloyd drew her a simpler diagram on the corner of his desk.

"Ohhh... That makes sense... I'm sorry, Biology is just one of those subjects that really gets me confused no matter what." she said with a nervous chuckle. "I'm really not _that dumb_, you know." she said, looking embarassed.

"I know you're not." Lloyd told her.

"Umm.. Yeah.." Gwen said. They continued to look over notes after notes after notes.

"Wow..." Gwen said, as they flipped the last page. "I think I finally get this. The preparation exam should be a piece of cake now!" she said confidently.

"Just be sure to remember it all." Lloyd told her.

"Like I said, I'm not _dumb _Lloyd!" she punched him playfully.

"I know." he smiled.

---

Lloyd exited the Biology classroom, Gwen had already gone off to her locker. He turned off the lights of the spare room and cleaned his desk, then locked the door. He looked at his watch.

_Still ten minutes left before lunch finishes._ he thought to himself. He decided to go see what Sacchun and Joe were up to. Meg had lunch-time practice, seeing as the Christmas Concert this year was focused on the strings. The band had... lesser roles, so Lloyd didn't have to worry. He rarely took his Trumpet home to practice, anyway. Walking down a hallway, he heard someone hiss at him.

"_Pssssst._" the voice said. He turned around. The hallway was empty, except for a few students walking by.

"_Psssssssssssst!_" the voice said, more loudly. Lloyd turned to a locker, where it seemed like the hissing was coming from. He opened it ... and Karen tumbled out, wearing a little santa hat on her head.

"Heey Lloyd!" she said, her eyes slightly unfocused. "Thanks for freeing me from that there lockermajoo." she said, batting her eyelashes and giving him a weird smile.

"Karen, I shouldn't even have to ask this but... are you drunk? ..again?" Lloyd asked, eyebrows raised.

"Well... Maybe kinda sorta. I had to babysit this morning, which was why I wasn't here. Then I got bored... and drank. Then came to school. Then I was fighting this giraffe that was holding a lobster who kept singing '_Under The Sea'_ to me and I was all like _what the hell..._Then I was in this locker." she explained, Lloyd could smell the alcohol in her breath. Sometimes Karen was the most irresponsible person he knew.

"That's... That's really... quite an experience." Lloyd said, not at all sure what to say in this kind of situation.

"Anyway. You'd better sober up, class starts in ten minutes." Lloyd was about to walk off, when he felt her firm hand grab his shoulder.

"Class is for _looosers._"

"Then I guess I have to go be a loser." Lloyd continued to walk, but Karen grabbed his arm. He couldn't break free of her grip. When Karen was drunk, she really didn't know her own strength.

"Uh..." Lloyd was about to ask her what she was doing.

"_Sshhhhhhh._" she silenced him. "Look, It's almost Christmas, dude. I've got ... a better idea." she said, her eyes suddenly looking fiery.

"Karen, whatever it is, I doubt it's a good one." Lloyd said honestly, still struggling against Karen's grip.

"Stop being such a pooper of parties! We're gonna have some holiday fun!" she grabbed him and pulled him in the opposite way, to the end of the hallway.

"Karen. Class. Ten minutes!" Lloyd protested.

"Lloyd. Me. No. Care." Karen said, rolling her eyes. "This will be fun! Loosen up a little." Lloyd sighed in defeat and let Karen pull him off to wherever they were going.

She stopped at the end of the hallway, and they went down a flight of stairs. And another one. Lloyd was still unsure what Karen was planning to do, and why he was even coming along. Finally, arriving on the lowest floor of the school, excluding the basements, Karen stopped.

"Well...?" Lloyd asked.

"This way." Karen said, with the air of a wild animal sniffing out her prey. This was not going to end well.

"Karen, that's the staff office. Students aren't even allowed in there." Lloyd said with a hint of fear in his voice. _If whatever she's up to gets me expelled... I will not be happy. _Lloyd thought bitterly. When Karen swung the door open, Lloyd expected the heads of teachers to swing around in their direction. But they did not. In fact, there wasn't a single teacher in the Staff Office.

"Where is everyone?" Lloyd asked.

"Meetin'." Karen said lazily.

"A Meeting...? Oh, yes, with the administrators, about the upcoming midyears." Lloyd said to himself, recalling Mia talking about it a few weeks ago.

"That's not important!" Karen said, tightening her grip on Lloyd's arm.

"Ow..."

"Toughen up!" she said fiercely. They walked through the staff office until Karen stopped at her destination. A room with a big, wooden door, with words engraved in white on it:

_P.A. Room_

"Oh Goddess. Don't tell me you're not ..." Lloyd started.

"...Planning to hi-jack the P.A.? Oh yeah." Karen said with a mischievous smile. She opened the door and walked into the small room. The room was very minimal, with a desk, two seats, a microphone, a phone, and a control panel for volume and the like.

"This is a bad idea." Lloyd said flatly. Karen finally let go of his arm, and Lloyd sighed with relief. He could feel her hand imprinted into his arm.

"Okay, hold this." she said, handing him the mic.

"No! I don't even know why I'm here!" he protested again.

"Shh." she said simply. She left the room. Lloyd wondered where she was going, and why he was stuck, holding the P.A. microphone, in the Staff Office. He had a feeling this was going to end horribly. Karen came back, almost five minutes later, carrying with her... an electric guitar? Oh Goddess. Lloyd felt faint.

"Karen, what are you doing?!" he felt himself exclaim in panic.

"Don't ya worry, Lloydie. Just hold that microphone up to me and we'll have some holiday fun." she said mischievously.

"...Karen, I'm not helping you with whatever you're trying to do." Lloyd said, putting the microphone back.

_Click._

Karen had closed the door behind them, and had locked it. She pushed a chair accross the room against the door, to make sure no one would enter, and no one would exit.

"Barely two minutes until class..." Lloyd muttered. Karen took out a wire, plugged one end into the guitar, and one end into the control panel.

"Karen..." Lloyd said slowly.

"Hehe. This'll be fun." she switched on the PA and Lloyd covered his ears, as blaring feedback from the guitar blasted obnoxiously.

"Hey y'all Flowerbud High students! This is Karen Lucine, everyone's favourite... uh... person. Here I am wishin' y'all a happy holidays! Time for some _HOLIDAY ROCK 'N ROLL!"_ she yelled into the microphone. Then, she struck the guitar and a note played loudly. Lloyd recoiled into the corner. She started playing a very mangled version of Jingle Bells.

"JINGLE _BELLS, _WAFFLES _SMELL, _MANNA TALKS A LOOOOOT, OH WHAT FUN, IT IS TO SING, IN THE P.A. ROOM AND NEVER GET _CAUUUGHT, YEEHAW!"_ Karen sang loudly and off-key into the microphone, which was blaring over the P.A.s all over the school.

_Oh Dear Goddess. Is she trying to get us killed?! _Lloyd asked, Karen's voice ringing in his ears. The rest of Karen's song was gibberish.

It was a shame really, because when Karen wasn't drunk and acting like a dumbass, she had a really beautiful voice.

Then, as expected, he heard a large group of people yell and bang on the door from outside.

"Young lady, you get out of here this INSTANT!" Lloyd heard Manna yell.

"..._Waffles do not smell! I'm sending you to boarding school!_" Theodore shrieked.

"Karen, don't make me bust down this door." Zack said, sounding almost bored.

"Oh my, what hideous music. Please, bring a stop to this chaos!" they heard Romana say, sounding appalled.

"..._Waffles do not smell!" _Theodore sounded like he was in hysterics.

"Karen, I'm giving you on the count of three." Manna said in a voice of forced calm.

"1..." She said.

"2..." Zack added in.

"..._They do not smell!"_

"Hush, Theodore."

"...3!!" Zack kicked down the door, and Karen simply stared as the teachers poured into the small P.A. room, barely fitting.

And despite the P.A. being on right in front of her, and having a guitar in her hand, she lifted her hand and pointed to Lloyd. All the teachers looked in his direction.

"...It wasn't me!" he yelled in protest.

"Was so." Karen said.

"No it wasn't!" Lloyd said in frustration.

"Then who was it?" Zack roared.

"...Umm..." Karen said. Everyone looked in her direction. "It was... a giraffe with a singing lobster?" she smiled innocently.


	22. Startin' the Holidays Off

**// Author's Note: **This is a sort of slow chapter, but it's a kind of wrap-up before the Starry Night Festival, which everyone's been waiting for! The chapter is coming, yes, yes, it is. And soon! Anyway, about this chapter. I made a mistake in Chapter 21 where I said Sacchun and Carl were seen _making out _in public. Yeah, don't believe that. I changed it, anyway. I don't know why I wrote that (gotta stop writing chapters late at night XD). Also, Karen's song, "Startin'", is originally by Ayumi Hamasaki, though because it would be weird to have japanese lyrics that no one would understand, so I used a fan-made english version. I didn't make it though! It was someone from my Ayumi Hamasaki forum that I go to, but I really have no idea who it was because this was from a long time ago and I just saved the lyrics XD. So yeah, just so you know - it's not by me!

Anyway, enjoy! Today was my first day of Christmas Break, so I got a chance to finish up this chapter. Happy Holidays, everyone! Thanks to all the awesome reviewers out there. And I think with this chapter HH! has finally hit 50,000 words! Yay! **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 22: Startin' the Holidays off

Flowerbud High was buzzing with excitement on Thursday, as it was their last day of school before the Winter Holidays. Karen had been suspended, unsurprisingly, but because it was so close to the last day before the break, they decided that her suspension would start the week they came back from break. Lloyd had narrowly avoided punishment, after making it very clear that he had nothing to do with Karen's plan. Karen had acctually inspired quite a few rebellious acts before the holidays. The Holiday Concert, as well as the Starry Night Ball were drawing near, and everyone was excited.

Sacchun hummed jingle bells to herself as the bell signaling the next class rung. She had one more class, then for the last period, the rest of the day was free for students to just have fun or do activities at school. She stretched and yawned happily as she walked to her next class with Carl.

"Nothing beats the feeling you have right before school ends." she said, smiling at him. They were holding hands.

"That's right, _sugarplum._" Carl said affectionately. Sacchun forced a smile. She _hated _that nickname, but didn't want to tell Carl. The poor guy was rather inept when it came to ladies, but she figured she could mold him into something that at least resembled a man.

"Hehe. Are you ready for the Concert?" she asked.

"Oh, yes! I've been practicing my viola." he said happily.

"I can't wait to see you perform!" Sacchun said excitedly. "What songs are you performing this year?"

"Well, we're playing White Christmas, with Karen on vocals. Though after what happened with the whole P.A. system, I don't know if they'll still let her." he chuckled.

"Aw, but Karen's voice is beautiful. She's like... a songbird." Sacchun said.

"Yeah, her voice really is something. Anyway, I'd better be off to music." Carl said and pranced off to his classroom. Sacchun winced as he pranced off, then sighed happily. Even though she had only been going out with Carl to prove that she could get a date as easily as Joe could, she had to admit, Carl had proven himself to be a rather cute guy. He was capable of cooking and baking, not to mention playing an instrument, and he was rather smart too. Not to mention he was, no pun intended, one of the sweetest guys Sacchun had met. They spent a lot of time together, walking to classes, eating lunch together, or watching movies after school. Although Carl had tried to make a move on Sacchun, she just did not think that kissing him so soon was the right thing to do.

_I have some dignity, unlike that tramp... _Sacchun thought fiercely. _The Starry Night ball is coming up... maybe that would be a good time for our first kiss._ Sacchun mentally decided that she would spontaneously kiss him at the end of a perfect evening.

_That's right._ she thought. _The perfect evening._

Sacchun began walking to her next class - Biology, when she stopped in her tracks. Karen must be having an influence on her, because she was feeling slightly rebellious. Well, rebellious enough to skip class, anyway.

---

"Yes, Settle down, Settle down, please!" Romana called out over the students as they played their instruments noisily. The sound diminished within a few minutes.

"Now now, I know you've all been having fun and games all day, but with our concert merely a few days away, it is vital that we get some practicing done. This may be our last practice as a group. Now, I take it you've all been practicing individually at home?"

The class nodded or said 'Yes' monotonously, though most of them were lying.

"Excellent. Karen dear, would you like to come to the front?" Romana motioned to a black stand at the front with the music score on it.

"Ugh... I guess so." Karen said, still suffering from a major headache, caused both by a hangover and the loud, electric guitar.

"I see you've been very ... _musical, _lately." Romana said to Karen once she was at the front so that no one else could hear.

"Heheh..." Karen knew what she was referring to.

"You have an abundant amount of talent, my dear, you'd be better off putting it to good use rather than wasting it like that." Romana said, frowning.

"I'll keep that in mind, madam." Karen rubbed the back of her head.

"From the top, then!" Romana picked up her baton and began conducting 'White Christmas'. At the end of the piece, Romana beamed at the group.

"Truly, each and every one of you has improved." she said, clapping her hands happily. Karen groaned, rubbing her head. Romana noticed Karen's pain and she decided to move onto the next piece, which was simply instrumental.

"March of the Nutcracker then!" she said happily, as the students all turned to the pages in their Music Binder.

"So, one, two, three, four, one, two three four..." Romana conducted, giving them the tempo. They finished up with the song and practiced individually in different sections of instruments for the rest of the class.

"Now remember to practice!" Romana called over the lunch bell, as students began to pack up their instruments and leave. Lloyd and Karen left together (earning them a suspicious glance from Romana), with Carl following behind. They were the last to leave. As they left the music room, a girl with black pigtails jumped out at them.

"Hey!" Sacchun said.

"Sacchun!! I didn't notice you there." Lloyd said, almost backing up into Karen.

"Ah, Hi." Karen said.

"Hey there, sugarplum!" Carl gave Sacchun a hug. Lloyd and Karen both snickered at the sound of Sacchun's nickname.

"Hi Carl!" Sacchun hugged him back, and shot a deadly glare at Lloyd and Karen while Carl wasn't looking.

"So where have you been, Sacchun? You haven't been hanging out with me 'n Joe as usual, you know..." Lloyd said, as Carl let go of her.

"Yeah, well... I've been busy with my own stuff." Sacchun said vaguely.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" Karen asked.

"I decided to skip Biology to hear you guys play! You're _totally _rad!" Sacchun said excitedly.

"Sacchun!" Carl looked appalled. "You shouldn't skip class!"

"Oh psht, this was way more fun. You guys rock." she said happily.

"So you just stood outside the door listening to us...?" Carl asked, eyebrow raised.

"Uh.. Yup!" Sacchun said.

"Well, we've got the rest of the afternoon off, why don't we do something?" Lloyd suggested.

"That sounds cool, but where- Oh. Oh _shit!_" Karen said suddenly, putting her hand to her mouth.

"What is it?" Sacchun asked.

"I forgot." she groaned. "Kurt, Kai and I are all performing in the main hallway upstairs now."

"Karen, Kurt, and Kai? How cute, the three K's!" Sacchun giggled.

"I'm on vocals, Kurt's on drums, and Kai's on..." Karen said.

"...electric guitar." Lloyd finished. He had found out that the electric guitar Karen had used was acctually Kai's.

"...Er, yeah." Karen chuckled. She hit Lloyd playfully on the head. "You can't hold a grudge against me forever cause of that! You didn't even get in trouble!" she stuck out her tongue.

"That was a bit too close for comfort, thanks." Lloyd said dryly.

"Heheh. It was fun though." Karen poked his cheek.

"...It was, but I wouldn't be caught dead admitting it."

"You just did, hon." Karen laughed. She checked her watch. "I better dash. Performance's starting soon." she said quickly before waving and running off.

"That girl is just too much." Lloyd sighed, with a smile.

The upstairs was bustling with activity. Karen's band was setting up in one corner, with Karen's many admirers staring anxiously as she hooked up the microphone. Many students were gathered around, talking, playing games, or just having fun. Even some teachers had joined in the festivity. There was one table where a group of people, including Eve, were playing poker. Some students had layed out a Twister mat and started playing that, Ray among them.

"Hey Joe!" Lloyd waved.

"Hey bro!" Joe gave him a high five. "I'm leaving soon."

"You're taking off for the afternoon? Where to? To stuff your face with a sugary dessert, in other words, Katie?" Lloyd laughed.

"Acctually, I have other stuff to do! ...With Katie. But anyway, see ya." Joe was already off. He didn't seem to have much interest in watching his brother perform.

"Soo, Sacchun..." Lloyd turned, but was surprised to see that both her and Carl had dissappeared. "Sacchun?"

A moment later, he saw her in a corner, sitting and talking with Carl. Lloyd almost thought that Sacchun and Joe were avoiding each other, but he couldn't find a reason as to why they would do it, and just shrugged it off and figured it was just his imagination. He was going to go sit with them when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Lloyd turned around to face the blonde girl facing him.

"Hey Gwen."

"Lloyd! I just wanted to tell you... I got an eighty-four percent on that prep test. I owe it to you!" Gwen beamed.

"It wasn't just 'cause of me. You're pretty smart yourself." Lloyd rubbed his head.

"Dude, if it wasn't for you, I would've flat-out failed. Trust me." Gwen had the urge to give him a hug, but she resisted... for five seconds. She gave Lloyd a quick hug. Lloyd felt himself blush. He felt feelings of infatuation bubbling, threatening to resurface, as Gwen's blonde hair obscured his vision. She let go.

"Sorry 'bout that." she laughed. "But really, you're a great tutor. I'm sure you could make money doing that or something."

"It's something to consider."

"Well, I know who to go to next time I have problems in Biology!" Gwen winked. "Anyway, Happy Holi... Well, I'll see you at the ball right?"

"Yeah, I'm going with ... Ellen." Lloyd said slowly.

"Oh. Oh! Yeah. Right. So I'll see you there then." Gwen smiled and went off to join Eve at the poker table. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, lazing around the school as the minutes went by until the winter holidays would finally begin. The one word on their mind was _freedom._

"Listen up everybody, we are Startin'!" they heard Karen yell, her voice magnified by the microphone. Some people thought she had hijacked the P.A. system again. A funky, loud, guitar theme started playing.

_"So when you think you have the things you need, so certain that you will succeed, let me tell you one thing, you ain't got none of that._

_So when you come knocking on my door, When I hear you scream, I hear you roar, Let me tell you one thing, you gotta get out of here!"_

Lloyd could feel the rhythm of the music beating within him. _She really does have a beautiful voice..._

"_Dreamin', Startin', Now is the time to start. Dreamin', Startin' before you break another girl's heart. Dreamin', Startin', Now without further delay, Dreamin', Startin', Stop the game you play!" _Karen proceeded into the chorus.

People were clapping along, dancing, or to those who knew the words, singing along.

_"Spread your wings and grab the key, just open up the door and see, before you lose all your control, before you lose your goal! If you break the chains and run to sea, now you can climb out and be free. Run away, yeah don't be so slow! Woh-oh!"_

Sacchun was yelling along wildly in the back, holding on to Carl, who looked slightly embarassed.

"Come on now! _Spread your wings and reach the sky, get down to earth and then fly high, before you lose your grip on life, before you close your eyes. Just don't give up without a fight, and the stars will all ignite tonight. Run away, yeah, you gotta go! Woh-oh! _Happy Holidays every-freakin'-body!!" Karen yelled into the microphone, as the bell rang just on cue.

"SCHOOL'S OUT!" Kai yelled, as students happily dashed for the doors.

---

"Joe? I'm back!" Lloyd called as he opened the door. He let out a small gasp. Their entire apartment had been decorated with Christmas decorations. Lloyd thought he had the wrong house. He looked at the door, and saw a huge wreath hanging on it. There was garland hanging in arcs from the ceiling, a fully-lit up Christmas village on a table in their hallway, a Christmas tree, fully decorated, sitting in their living room next to their TV, and the smell of... gingerbread?

"Joe? What the hell happened?" Lloyd turned and looked into the kitchen. His eyes widened. Joe was standing there, wearing an apron. He was holding a tray of freshly baked gingerbread men, all with little candy eyes and smiles and buttons, with sprinkles on to decorate their clothing.

"Joe, I repeat. _What the hell?!_"

"Oh, hey dude!"

"Where did all this stuff come from?" Lloyd gestured to all the decorations.

"Oh, well you, know, me and Katie..." Joe said sheepishly. Katie walked out of the bathroom and poked Lloyd on the shoulder.

"Hey! Sorry, I just thought it would be a neat idea to decorate your apartment. Hope you don't mind." she said sweetly.

"Mind? I oughta be thanking you. It's really... festive!" Lloyd said, looking around. "But... gingerbread men? I wasn't aware you could make anything besides ramen bowls and microwave meals." Lloyd asked incredulously.

"Oh, Joe was just taking them out for me while I was in the bathroom. I made them." Katie explained.

"Heyyy! I helped!"

"Well yes, true, Joe did help." Katie smiled. "I've been teaching him how to decorate and maintain a household and even bake!" she said, taking a gingerbread man and non-chalantly biting his head off.

"You must be a miracle worker to accomplish that." Lloyd said flatly. Katie giggled and Joe scowled at him.

"But aren't ya glad, Lloyd? It's like... Christmas in here!" Joe said excitedly.

"Eggnog, anyone?" Katie said, taking out three bottles from their fridge.

"Sure, I'm game." Lloyd took one.

"Whoohoo! Merry Christmas!" Joe said, popping open the bottle.

---

It was already dark as Dia entered the student building. She put out her cigarette as she entered. She had been practicing her violin at the School, until the janitor told her she had to leave. She didn't want to disturb anyone by playing it here. As she was walking up, she could hear voices singing. They sounded... drunk, and out of tune.

_"Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell sock..."_

_"Teeheeeeee, Joe, you said sock!_"

"_Jingly socks! Yaaay!_"

It was coming from Lloyd and Joe's room. _Sounds like some party they're having._ Dia thought miserably as she walked up the stairs to her room. The snow, along with the general Christmas atmosphere had brought back a wave of painful memories for her. She was feeling more depressed than she ever had since coming to Flowerbud High.

She opened the door to her apartment, dumping her stuff and her violin case near the door. She closed her door weakly and felt tears stream down her face.

_I hate snow. I hate winter. I hate Christmas. I hate ... I hate people!! _she thought fiercely, as more tears spilled out. She sat down in her computer chair, gasped for air, and cried some more. Memories she did not want to resurface were threatening to do so. She wiped her tears aggressively. She glanced at something she kept underneath her keyboard - a sharp, shiny razor blade.

_No. No, I can't. _she stopped herself. _It doesn't help. It doesn't help._ she repeated to herself in her mind. She picked up the phone instead. She knew the number off by heart now.

"_H'yello?" _a drunken voice said into the phone.

"..." Dia felt the ability to speak slip away from her again. She sniffled.

"_Whozzat? You okay?_" the voice said. Dia stared at the snow outside the window, stared at the razor blade underneath her keyboard, and stared at the phone. She worked up what little courage she had.

" ... I... I want to be friends... " she said softly. Softer than a whisper.

_"Whaz you say? Shush Lloyd... No, s'not Ellen, jus' some crazy person callin'..." _

Dia hung up the phone. She felt her eyes water again.

"I just want to be friends." she said to herself. The words came out naturally, and Dia felt a hot wave of self-loathing for not being able to say it to them.

_It's not hard, Dia, it's not._ a voice nagged her in the back of her head.

"I just want to be friends..." she said quietly to herself.


	23. A Starlit Night

**// Author's Note: **Whoohoo! It's the big Starry Night Ball that I've been building up to. I hope this chapter satisfies you guys, though it might just make you yearn for knowledge of what's going to happen next. Anyway, It's my Christmas gift to you guys (a day late, unfortunately. Sorry! Christmas time busy time.). I hope you all like it though, and hope you all had a great Christmas and continue to enjoy the rest of your holidays! Also, I started a new kind of thing I'm going to do from now on. Seeing as I listen to music so much when I'm writing chapters, I decided to add a little list of songs that inspire me for the latest chapter! Anywho, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, guys! Expect another update soon! **End Author's Note //**

**Inspirational Listening (IR): **_Ayumi Hamasaki - CAROLS, Ayumi Hamasaki - Pride, Ayumi Hamasaki - forgiveness, Ayumi Hamasaki - No Way To Say, Ayumi Hamasaki - No Way To Say, Ayumi Hamasaki - momentum, Ayumi Hamasaki - M._

Chapter 23: A Starlit Night

The day of the Starry Night ball had finally come. The whole day, students were buzzing with excitement. No one could sit still, not with the prospect of the Ball coming up that evening. Meg and Sacchun had picked out gorgeous dresses . Joe and Lloyd had stopped by at a store on Azure Street that rented out Tuxes, and they each got a tux.

"Blech, I hate formal wear." Lloyd said, adjusting his tux in the mirror.

"Heh, once you get to the ball though I doubt you'll even realise you're wearing it." Joe said, taking out some dress shoes from his drawer.

"Easy for you to say. Knowing the way you and Katie get it on, your tux will be off in a matter of ten minutes anyway." Lloyd laughed.

"H-Hey!" Joe exclaimed. "We're not _that _horny!"

"Yesyouare." Lloyd coughed fakely.

"Bah, better than being the prudes of the century. Do you even allow yourself to _look _at Ellen, or is that a bit too _risqu_éfor you two?" Joe fired back.

"Psht, just 'cause I'm not down her throat every two seconds doesn't mean we're prudes!" Lloyd rolled his eyes.

"Well, if you two are done with your witty exchange of banter..." they heard Meg say. She was standing in the doorway, arm looped with Kurt's, looking absolutely magnificent. She had a white flower in her hair, which was tied up in a bun, and was wearing a long lavender dress with shiny pearl designs on it. Kurt looked great too, wearing a very dark green suit, and his hair was gelled back, without his bandana.

"If I may be so forward, Meg, I have to say, you look stunning." Joe said, in awe. Lloyd nodded in agreement. Meg giggled and twirled around.

"I've been jogging to keep fit, you know. I guess it's really payed off in the end!"

"I'll say." Kurt said, under his breath, his face looking slightly red.

"What?"

"Just clearing my throat." he smiled.

"So where's Sacchun?" Lloyd asked.

"Carl came to pick her up and they went early." Meg said. Joe looked slightly bothered by this.

"So... are we going to stand here all day? We have a Ball to go too!" Joe said happily, changing the subject.

"Aw, no limo's to go pick Katie up in?" Lloyd teased.

"Har har. I'm just meeting her there." Joe said, putting on his shoes.

"Riiight. Anyway, let's go!" Meg said.

As they were walking to the school, it was becoming very obvious how happy Meg was about the arrangement.

_A romantic evening with Kurt, dancing, talking, simply enjoying each others company. One thing might lead to another, and next thing I know, I could be under a mistletoe with him and... Ooooh! If I smile any wider, my head will fall off. This is too exciting! _

Kurt put his arm around her, seeing as it was still pretty cold outside.

_This night cannot get any better!! ... Well, it probably can, but still!_

"Oh Joe," Lloyd said, batting his eyelashes and putting his hands together. "Do you need me to put my arms around you, too?" Joe burst out laughing, but Kurt silenced him with an icy glare.

"Oho, what's this? Do you secretly have the hots for Joe? Are you two gonna dump your girls and start makin' out half way through the ball?" Meg teased.

"Ewww..." Joe cringed.

"Yes, Meg, you've got it! That's _precisely _what we planned to do." Lloyd said sarcastically. Meg laughed.

"I'm fine with making out with girls, thankya very much." Joe stuck out his tongue.

"Can we hurry up? I don't want this wind to ruin my hair." Meg said, walking ahead of the others.

"You know what's weird?" Joe said, looking up at the sky.

"What?" Lloyd turned to him.

"It's almost as if they knew tonight would be perfect for the ball."

Lloyd looked at him inquisitively. "Huh?"

"Look." he said simply. Lloyd stared up into the sky. He was right - it was cloudless, and each of the stars seemed to be making a huge effort to shine as brightly as possible. Lloyd and Joe were slightly mesmerized by the twinkling of the stars above.

"Hey, guys?!" Meg called, a few metres ahead of them.

"Are you comin' or what?" Kurt yelled over to them.

"Oh right, Sorry!"

---

Upon entering the school, they were lead by older students to where the ball was taking place. They were surprised to hear it would take place in the Lunch Dome, but when they arrived there, it seemed like the best choice.

Since it was a gigantic dome of glass, the starlight shone in nicely. The dome was laced with blue and white Christmas lights, and there were crystal stars and snowflakes hanging from the top of the dome. The tree in the middle of the dome looked almost spectral - there was lights hanging around it, but because it had lost all its leaves and the dome was rather dark, it looked like the lights were floating around nothing! They stared in awe at the decorations. Where the food counters usually were, there was instead a stereo system (Ann was there, as the disc-jockey). It was completely unrecognizable! Dr. Alex and Gina the secretary were the two adults in charge of watching over the dance (much to Sacchun's pleasure, of course).

"This... is..." Lloyd started.

"...Romantic!" Meg finished, clasping her hands together. She had a bright twinkle in her eyes that could only be described as a look of supreme happiness.

"Hey Meg!" Sacchun waved. She was wearing a long black dress, sleeveless, with silver designs on it, and was standing with Carl, who looked completely disoriented by Sacchun's beauty. For once, her hair wasn't in pigtails. She had let it down and curled it, almost to the point where she was unrecognizable.

Joe felt a slight knot in his stomach, seeing Sacchun all dressed up like that, but the knot tightened uncomfourtably when a second person approached him.

"_There _you are, Joe!" Katie said, walking in front of him and blocking his view of Sacchun.

"Katie!" Joe exclaimed, his eyes widening. She was wearing an odd dress - it was like a black gown, with white frilly sleeves, and a pink corset. She blushed as she saw Joe scanning her every feature.

"You look awesome!" he said, looping arms with her.

"You're not too shabby yourself, mister." she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Joe blushed.

Kurt noticed something that stood out like a sore thumb. Dia was acctually there, wearing a formal black dress, sitting against the tree, all by herself. He wasn't surprised to see that she wasn't with anyone, but was surprised that she had come to a social gathering like this. He wanted to go talk to her, but Meg had steered him off to go dancing.

"Well, if it isn't Lloyd!" they heard a cheery voice say. Ellen walked towards them, wearing a long goldish-beige-cream Dress, with red lacing.

"Ellen! You... look gorgeous. I don't know what to say." Lloyd stared. She was wearing a golden hairband as well, which matched her dress.

"You girls really go all out, huh?" Lloyd said, rubbing the back of his head. He hugged Ellen.

"It's worth it, hon." she winked. Sacchun and Carl walked up to them.

"Lloyd! You look great!" Sacchun said happily.

"Haha, thanks, you do too."

"And Ellen! I'm so glad you made it!" Sacchun hugged Ellen.

"Aren't you going to say Hi to Joe?" Lloyd turned around and found that his best friend wasn't there. He was at one of the snack tables getting a drink for him and Katie, who was leaning against a wall. Sacchun seemed to ignore his question.

"Hey, wanna go see Ann? The poor lass had to go alone so she's... well, a bit grumpy." Ellen said to them in a whisper, not that it mattered since the music was so loud anyway. Indeed, as they were approaching the stereo, Ann's arms were crossed and she was sitting back in her chair looking rather upset. She hadn't even bothered to dress up or anything, and was sporting half-ripped jeans, and a blue t-shirt.

"Hey Ann." Lloyd greeted.

"Blah."

"Cheer up, Ann!" Ellen said, sounding a bit too enthusiastic. "Everything will work out fine in the end, don't worry."

"Jeez, Ellen, there's a difference between cheering me up and giving me false hope. And I'm _not _in the mood for the latter." Ann growled. Ellen's smile faded a bit.

"What happened anyway?" Sacchun asked. Ann growled again, staring intently at Carl.

"...What did Carl do?" Lloyd asked.

"Not Carl!" she snapped. Carl moved out of the way quickly and they saw Mia, wearing a sleeveless light blue dress, a white ribbon in her hair, dancing with Blue - Ellen's antisocial cousin. From what they could see, he was blushing under his short shaggy blonde hair.

"Oh yeah, weren't you going out with him?" Carl asked.

"I suppose '_were_' is the keyword, judging from your icy glare." Lloyd said. Ann nodded curtly.

"So what happened, exactly?" Sacchun pressed.

"Ugh, ... At the Library, Mia was sorting some books, and she fell and Blue caught her."

"...So?"

"...Then she asked him to eat lunch with her to thank him. She was all blushy-wushy and blargh." Ann said in a low growl.

"So?" Sacchun repeated.

"He agreed!" she half-yelled.

"And...?" Sacchun still didn't see why it was such a big deal.

"I ... _may _have over reacted but... He was a jerk! The minute I broke up with him he went straight for Mia. Hmph." Ann sipped some soda out of a plastic cup. She didn't seem eager to talk anymore.

"So, uhh, Shall we dance?" Lloyd asked Ellen.

"Oh, Yes! Dancing!" Sacchun said, as if she almost forgot they were at a ball. She dragged Carl off to where many other couples were dancing together in the center of the dome.

"Uh, Yes! Because it is, a Ball after all and... well, Dancing is one of the ... main features of a ball... and..." Ellen chuckled nervously.

"So...? Let's go!"

Ellen remained where she was.

"Come on, El, let's dance." Lloyd said, taking her hand.

"Yes... Let's .. dance!" she said, smiling cheerfully, but refused to move. A new song started.

"...Ellen?" Lloyd raised his eyebrows. She finally unglued her feet and walked over to the dance floor, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process. She smiled bashfully at him.

"...You ... don't know how to dance, do you?" Lloyd asked. Ellen blushed in embarassment.

"I'm sorry! I ... I took dance lessons but I'm just really clumsy with my feet." she said tearfully.

"It's okay, Ellen. It's a ball, they'll just be playing soft songs, or power ballads or stuff, it doesn't require a lot of moving around." Lloyd said, trying to reassure her. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

He smiled at her, which helped more than he knew. He and Ellen began to dance slowly. When they were this close, staring right into each others' faces, Lloyd could really point out the beautiful features of Ellen's face. Her green eyes and her welcoming smile, combined with the timid air of a young girl made her increasingly attractive.

"See?" Lloyd said, as they continued to dance. "You're doing fine!"

"Wow.. I'm... I'm acctually dancing!" Ellen giggled. "I've never danced before, much less with a b...er, nevermind.." she muttered absently. Soon, Joe and Katie and Sacchun and Carl had begun dancing too, moving in close to them. Joe raised his eyebrow at Ellen behind Katie's back, and Lloyd gave him a subtle thumbs up.

"I'm going to get us some drinks, okay?" Ellen said sweetly. Lloyd relaxed. Everything was going well. Until, however...

"WHOOOHOOO! Dan the Dancemaster is here!" Dan yelled enthusiastically, entering the room and dancing smoothly right to the center. Ann turned on some more upbeat music, which was completely uncharacteristic of a _ball, _but everyone just went with it. Soon there was a circle forming around Dan as he danced. Katie and Sacchun were laughing at Dan and went to go watch him too.

"Always stealing the show, isn't he?" Lloyd said in a soft voice to Joe.

"Yep, that's Dan." he snickered. They saw Sacchun within the circle, clapping and cheering as Dan danced.

"Whoo! You go Dan! Rock that dancefloor!" she yelled, even though he was only about a metre away from her. Spinning out of a dancing move, Dan looked up at Sacchun.

"Hey, baby doll. Wanna ditch this preschool party and go somewhere _hotter_?" he winked at Sacchun, their faces about an inch away. The crowd chorused in with an "_OooooOooooh..._"

"H-Hey!" Carl said timidly, though no one noticed him.

"We can do some of _this, _and maybe some of _that, _and by the end of the night you'll be _screaming_ for _more..._" he grinned seductively, before his face was suddenly thrust into the floor. Karen had swung down from the tree in the middle and kicked his head right into the ground.

"_Sleazeball!_ Get away from her! You're _mine _for the night, gottit?!" she yelled, her speech slightly slurred.

"Looks like Karen's drunk already." they heard some people say.

"Where'd she get the alcohol, I wonder?" Lloyd asked.

"I think she uh... Maybe slipped a little something into the punch before you guys got here." Joe told him.

"Oh. _Oh!. _Oh Crap!" Lloyd swung around to the snack table, where Ellen was already drinking deeply into the cup. Her face looked flushed and she wobbled over to Lloyd, another cup in her hand, spilling its contents everywhere.

"Here ya go's, Lloyd Some very berry cherry punch. Teehee... Verry berreh..." Ellen giggled feebly, before spilling more of the punch.  
"Ellen? Goddess, was one of your parents a shrew or something? You've got the alcohol tolerance of one, at any rate." Lloyd held Ellen by the shoulders.

"Teeheeeeee.. Lloyd, you's funny. Funny like a clown, I guess. A clown with... with a hippopopotomoose... Heheee, moose."

"Ellen... doesn't get drunk often, does she?" Katie said slowly, walking towards them, realising what was going on in.

"I don't think so."

"Maybe we should call Blue over?" Joe suggested, going off to find the blonde. Meanwhile, they took Ellen and walked her over to where Ann was. They sat her down in a chair and Ann looked over at her.

"What happened?" she asked curiously.

"_Someone _spiked the punch. I'll give you one guess as to who it is." Lloyd said.

"Gee, does it start with a 'K' and end with 'aren'?" Ann said sarcastically. "Never would have guessed." Though Ann seemed bitter, her bitterness was doubled as she saw Joe rushing over with Blue, and a blue-haired librarian tailing along.

"Oh, Ellen!" Blue exclaimed, seeing his cousin looking flushed.

"She uh, had some of Karen's punch." Joe explained. There was a brief moment where they all looked at each other and realised silently that Karen's punch should never be drunk by anyone except Karen.

"Right, well, get her some water, someone." Blue said roughly. Lloyd went to get some water, hoping Karen didn't spike that, too.

"Cuzzy? Izzat you? And who's the pretty blue haired girl? She's pretty..." Ellen said vaguely. Ann cleared her throat loudly, clearly annoyed.

"Oh. Ann." Blue said, expressionlessly.

"Blue." Ann didn't even bother giving him a glance. Lloyd came dashing back with a plastic cup of water, and gave it to Ellen. Blue grabbed it out of her hand and forced it into her mouth, so she wouldn't spill it everywhere.

"Hey whatcha grblgblgblgbll..." Ellen was interrupted as water invaded her throat. She finished the whole cup in several gulps and looked suddenly tired.

"Ellen? Ellen, are you okay?" Blue asked her.

"Blue... Oh, my. I-If it's okay, I'd rather go home now." she said, sounding tired.

_Jeez! Has she never even smelt alcohol before? This kind of reaction is... abnormal._ Lloyd thought, eyebrows raised.

"Oh, Okay, okay." Blue picked her up with surprising strength.

"Um..." Mia said quietly. Blue wheeled around. He had momentarily forgotten all about Mia.

"I'm so sorry, Mia, I didn't mean for our night to be ruined..." Blue said apologetically. Lloyd saw Ann wince behind them.

"I'll make it up to you, I'm really sorry!" he said sincerely, before dashing out of the lunch dome with Ellen in his arms. Joe and Katie went off to dance again.

"Well, that's a bummer." Lloyd said, collapsing into the chair previously taken up by Ellen.

"Heh." Ann said, feeling grimly happy that Mia and Blue's date had been interrupted. Mia pulled a near-by chair next to Lloyd and sat into it.

"We're both dateless now." she sighed.

"Looks like it." Lloyd said, before a wave of cheers erupted from one end of the dome.

"Huh? What's going on?" Mia wondered, getting up to get a better view. Lloyd did the same. It seemed like Ray and Bob were having a dance-off, with a huge crowd arround them. Eve was watching with an amused smile at Bob, who was losing miserably. Gwen was standing outside of the crowd, arms crossed, clearly embarassed by Bob's _cave-man_ dancing. Karen and Dan were making out behind the crowd, and Dan was trying to feel her up. Gwen saw Lloyd sitting and started walking over. She was wearing a two-piece dress - a long pale green skirt, and a green top that showed off her midriff. The top had green jewels in it, and she was wearing a transparent green shawl over it. Her hair was let down and had a bejeweled flower in it, making her look like a kind of gypsy.

"Sitting all by your little lonesome?" Gwen smiled at him, disregarding Mia and Ann beside him.

"Haha, my date had a gulp of Karen's mystery brew and had to be hospitalized." he joked.

"Wouldn't be the first time someone would have to be hospitalized 'cause of one of Karen's creations." Gwen said, laughing. She stared at her feet, then at him.

"So... Wanna dance...?" she asked holding out her hand.

"But what about Bob...?"

"Right, like he'll notice. His head is thicker than a steel boulder." Gwen said dismissively. Lloyd got up uncertainly, and they proceeded to dance together. He tried to keep any resurfacing feelings buried, but was finding it to be a very hard task now that they were at the ball together and Gwen looked absolutely stunning.

Mia and Ann were left sitting there, seperated only by the air that was previously occupied by Lloyd. Mia stared intently at her fingernails while Ann grunted and turned to her.

"You know..." she started, as Mia gave out a little '_eep!'_ of surprise. "None of this would have happened if you didn't want to _repay _him for catching you!" she snarled.

"I'm sorry! I thought it would be a friendly gesture... And when he asked me out, I couldn't say 'No'. I'm just like that! Once I've seen someone suffer I don't want anything else to happen to them." Mia said, her eyes shining with tears.

"Urgh... the crazy part about this is that I just can't be mad at you. We _are _friends, regardless of whether or not you stole... No, if you're going out with my ex-boyfriend. Boys aren't worth fighting about anyway." Ann said, as she put on a slow ballad, which dissapointed the crowd watching the dancing contest.

"You're right Ann... I wouldn't be as forgiving if I were you, you know. You're a very nice and mature person." Mia said, smiling admirably.

"Haha... I'm not, really, but thanks for the compliment." Ann said. Mia moved over to Lloyd's chair so that she was next to Ann.

"You're a good friend." she put her head on Ann's shoulder, and Ann felt a lot happier than she had all night.

"You're beautiful." Joe whispered seductively in Katie's ear, as they danced slowly.

"You're hot."

"I am, acctually. I feel like taking off this annoying tie." Joe joked.

"That's not all you should take off." Katie said with a cat-like grin. Next thing they knew, Katie was pinned against the glass wall of the dome and Joe was kissing her furiously. They broke apart a moment later, Joe blushing.

"Breathmints, again?" she asked, looking amused.

"Yeah." he said.

"You're packing a lot these days, aren't you?" she grinned.

"Can't help it." Joe said simply, and they were back at it again.

Sacchun was watching the lovey-dovey couple out of the corner of her eyes, feeling her bitterness and resentment rise with every passing moment.

"So.." Carl said, trying with great effort to make conversation.

"Yeah?!" Sacchun said, sounding more aggressive than she meant to.

"Eep."

"Sorry, I, er... I'm having a really great time!" Sacchun said, changing her tone of voice completely.

"Really? Me too!" Carl said, slightly lying.

"You know, it's been a great evening." she said, the starlight shining on her pale face. "...So great, that there's only one thing that could make it better." she said, looking like a siren on a rock in the middle of a moonlit ocean.

"Umm...Yes?" Carl said, looking eagerly at her. Sacchun moved in slowly and was ready to make her move on the innocent blonde. She closed her eyes and moved her lips towards his, when an uncomfourtable image popped up into her mind. One that she knew, no matter how hard she tried, she could not get out of her head. She was picturing Joe's face. Moving her lips closer to Carl's, she imagined herself kissing Joe, and tried her best to shake the image from her mind. It wouldn't leave. She sped up the process of kissing, and their lips met. Still, she was imagining Joe. She was even _smelling _Joe's familiar scent and imagining his light brown hair and american bandana. She tore herself away from Carl.

"No!!" She shrieked. "Joe!" She ran out of the lunch dome suddenly, leaving Carl looking bewildered.

Joe looked over, after hearing his name and seeing Sacchun run out of the lunch dome.

"Something the matter, Joe?" Katie asked sweetly.

"No, I .. I just..." Joe had the urge to run after her and find out what happened. Katie's grip on him was too strong. He struggled to get free but she just wouldn't let him. He gave in to his defeat and he and Katie continued to make out, though he did so with a slight twinge of guilt and worry for Sacchun.

Meanwhile,Meg was in positive heaven. She was resting her head on Kurt's shoulder, enjoying every moment of the time she spent with Kurt. She could ask for nothing more - well, except maybe a kiss, but she realised that if they were going to, Kurt would have to initiate it. Meg opened her eyes and looked up at Kurt, but saw that his gaze was not on her lush blonde hair. He was staring over at the tree, and Meg, with an icy hatred seeping into her stomach, had a feeling he was looking at the Ice Queen.

"Kurt?" she said in the sweetest voice she could summon.

"Oh! Meg." Kurt said, sounding slightly surprised to find her on his shoulder.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" she asked him.

"Yeah, sorry, just kind of spacing out. Watching the snow fall." he said softly. Meg looked up. He was right, the snow was falling, and it was almost mesmerizing. It looked beautiful, little white specs floating around them, the stars twinkling overhead.

"It's beautiful." Meg said quietly.

"Yes..." Kurt said, sounding distracted again. Meg looked back at his face, and saw, with another twinge of annoyance, that he was staring at Dia.

"Hey, how about I get us some Soda?" Meg asked, breaking apart from him. _And I'll throw it in your eyes, too. _she thought bitterly.

"Mmm, yeah." Kurt said absently. Meg walked briskly over to the snack table. Kurt took this oppurtunity to go talk with Dia.

"...Hey." he said as he slowly approached her. She was staring at the ground, and looked up when she saw him approach. She didn't say anything.

"Are you okay? I have to admit, I'm surprised you came." Kurt said, taking a seat next to her. She still said nothing.

"Though have you been enjoying the night? It's been pretty fun, wouldn't you say?" Kurt tried desperately to make conversation. Still, she did not open her mouth.

"You know, you could've came and sat with us. We wouldn't have minded." Kurt told her. The girl just didn't let a word escape her lips.

"We... we could be friends." Kurt said, smiling at her. Dia felt a small flame awaken inside her, enough to give her the courage to say one word. Unfortunately, Kurt couldn't understand what she said.

"What was that...?" Kurt asked, leaning in closer. Dia opened her mouth to say it again, but no words came out. She cursed her vocal chords for not working. Then she finally said it, softly.

"Mistletoe."

"...Sorry?" Kurt looked at her, eyes wide. Dia couldn't say anything else. She simply pointed a finger above them, her black nail polish pointing to the tree branch above them. Sure enough, tied to the branch above was a mistletoe, hanging there ominously. Kurt had not noticed it at all.

"Er..." he said slowly. Dia looked at him, unsure what would happen next. _She's so.. pretty... _Kurt thought feebly, weakened by her gaze and her smooth, pale face. He moved towards her, and in a moment, he and Dia were locked by the lips, sharing a kiss. It was both of their first kisses. Kurt closed his eyes, finding this scenario completely unimaginable. He was with Dia, underneath the tree in the Lunch dome, kissing her. Unfortunately, though Kurt expected it at the back of his mind, their moment was cut short by a shriek.

"_YOU!!!_" Meg yelled, dropping the cups of soda to the ground. They spilt everywhere and everyone stopped dancing momentarily to stare at what happened. "_You little wench!!" _Meg shrieked, wanting to stride over and pull Dia's intestines out from her nostrils and then strangle her with them. Dia looked up at her, and for the first time, looked fearful. She fell backwards, and Meg stood over her, fuming.

"Meg! No!" Kurt pushed her aside.

"_Kurt!! _I should have known! If you wanted to go so badly with her - which I _knew _you did, the way you kept ogling her all night - why did you even bother agreeing to go with me?!" Meg yelled, tears streaming down her face.

"Because... I couldn't just..." Kurt felt himself to be in a very hard position. Dia, lying on the ground, felt broken. Shattered. She was the cause of this. She had destroyed everything. The only thing that would follow would be more hatred. More _pain. _She felt tears well up in her eyes, but forced them back.

Meg, having nothing else to say to the pair of them, ran out of the Lunch dome and into the starlit night without another word.


	24. Uncomfortable Silence

**// Author's Note: **Yarrrr! I am sorry for the lateness and stuff. I wasn't able to get the Christmas chapter (this chapter) up by Christmas, and I felt bad about being late, and ended up avoiding this story, then I missed the New Years chapter, so yeah, now I'm just horribly behind. But, better late than never, as they say. The New Years chapter will be coming soon, _very _soon, I should think. It's the "season finale", kind of the end of the first part of Harvest High! Then I might take a small break to work on other projects, and return to this afterwards. Thanks a lot to all the reviews for last chapter! **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 24: Uncomfortable Silence

The way things were going, it didn't look like Christmas was going to be very joyful. Meg wasn't speaking to Kurt and avoided Lloyd and Joe. Sacchun wasn't returning Carl's phonecalls and was once again keeping to herself, which meant she too, was avoiding Lloyd and Joe. Ellen felt terrible for what happened, and Karen's suspension was _extended _because of the Punch. As the result of all that had happened, Lloyd found himself sitting only with Joe and Katie on Christmas morning, in their decorated room, on the couch.

"So..." Joe said, as an attempt to make conversation. The three of them had nothing to discuss but what had happened at the Starry Night Ball, but the conversation had died a while ago, and they were left in uncomfortable silence. They were watching sunday morning cartoons, having nothing else to do. Under their tree were gifts for them, but they did not want to open them without Sacchun and Meg, for they too had gifts under there.

"Eggnog, anyone?" Katie asked, getting up to get some.

"Uh... I finished it last night." Joe said. She sat back down again.

"Oh." she said, and they continued to sit. Five minutes passed.

"Hey... instead of sitting around here, how 'bout the three of us go out for lunch?" Joe asked, getting up and stretching.

"Sure. Where to?"

"How about Doug's Place?" Katie suggested. Lloyd felt something squirm in his stomach. Doug was Amber's father, and Gwen's uncle. And _she _had a part time job there. Even though Lloyd kept trying to assure himself that he didn't _like _Gwen in that way, it was very hard now that he had danced with her.

"Sure." he said, before he could stop himself. He went to get changed, as he was still in his pyjamas, and after putting on their coats and hats, they set off for Doug's place.

It was a rather gloomy day outside, since it was raining. Not hard, but just enough so that the streets were full of slush and water that they could not avoid stepping in as they walked. The grey sky was not all that cheerful either.

"How icky..." Katie said in annoyance, trying not to walk in any puddles.

"Are you sure Doug's Place will be open? It _is _Christmas day." Lloyd pointed out.

"I guess we'll just have to see." Joe said, as they continued to walk. Upon arrival, it seemed that the place _was _open, but rather empty. They walked in. The only other person there was Gotz, the school's caretaker. He sat at a table in the corner, staring moodily out the window and drinking a warm mug of coffee. Amber, who was leaning on the counter looking bored, suddenly looked up as her three new customers entered.

Doug's Place wasn't a very fancy or extravagant restaurant, it was just a regular family-run place, which had some pretty darn good food. The wooden tables were covered with checkered white and red cloths, and there were some old paintings put up of the countryside on the walls. He had some red and green garland hanging accross the beams of the ceiling, to give the place a bit of a christmasy atmosphere.

"Hey guys! How ya doin'? You can take that table right over there." Amber pointed with the pen in her hand to a table near the window that could seat four. They nodded and walked over there, putting their coats on the back of their chairs.

"Guess the service will be faster today." Lloyd remarked as Amber came by and passed them three menus.

Lloyd ordered an egg-and-bacon special, while Joe ordered onion rings and chicken wings from the Lunch menu. Katie ordered a grilled cheese and fries. Amber scribbled down their orders and ran off to the kitchen.

While Joe and Katie were talking, Lloyd glanced quickly around the restaurant, to see if Gwen was present.

"Heh, who're you looking for?" Joe asked, noticing Lloyd looking around.

"No one." he lied.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," Katie started. "What happened to Ellen afterwards?"

"Ahh..." Lloyd said. "She just felt terrible and wanted to repay me in some way." Lloyd said, sounding embarassed.

"So, what's she going to do for you? Be your maid? Or give you some _special service_?" Joe asked, laughing.

"Joe!"

"Nah, I don't want her to repay me. It wasn't her fault, and I still... er... enjoyed the ... rest of the night..." Lloyd trailed off, hoping Joe wasn't going to ask what he did for the remainder of the ball.

They continued to wait their food, and Joe and Katie both looked like they were trying their hardest not to make out, just for Lloyd's sake. Lloyd rolled his eyes at the thought. Amber arrived, carrying three seperate plates. She placed them on the table in front of them.

"Thanks Amber!" Katie said sweetly. Joe attacked his plate as soon as Amber left.

"Hungry much?" Lloyd asked, examining Joe as he scarfed down his food. Joe said 'Yeah' through a mouthful of food and continued. Amber watched them contently from her counter, then leaned back in her chair and started skimming through a magasine. They finished their meals and waited for Amber to come around to pick up their plates.

"Hey, can I get you guys some dessert? Some Coffee or something, maybe?" she asked.

"Oh, well some Hot Chocolate would be nice, acctually." Katie said, ordering three mugs for each of them. Lloyd did not protest. Amber disappeared into the back kitchen, and several minutes later, the door swung open again. But it was not Amber carrying the tray of hot chocolate mugs. A girl with blonde hair in a ponytail and ruby-coloured eyes came out, smiling at them as she approached. Lloyd felt his face get hot and knew he was blushing. Gwen greeted them and gave them their mugs before sitting down next to Lloyd.

"H-Hey." Lloyd said, taking his hot chocolate.

"Haha, Hey guys! Merry Christmas!" she said cheerfully. She was wearing a dark red turtle-neck and little christmas-tree earrings.

"Working on Christmas? That sucks." Katie said.

"Heh, I don't mind. Of course you guys know my parents don't live here, and my uncle doesn't spend too much time on Christmas. He just celebrates or gives all the gift-giving on Christmas eve, and on Christmas day he just works." Gwen said, laughing.

"Sorry to make you guys work today." Lloyd said apologetically.

"That's okay. It's nice to have company." Gwen smiled at him. "I had fun at the ball last night. Did you guys?"

"Yeah." Katie smiled playfully at Joe. "We had fun."

"Heck yeah." Joe added.

"Me too." Lloyd said, laughing sheepishly.

"That's good. Say, isn't that Meg and Sacchun?" Gwen looked over at the door, and indeed, it seemed Meg and Sacchun had also decided to step out for lunch. They were taking off their coats. Meg looked up and spotted them sitting at a table, and she said something to Sacchun out of the corner of her mouth. Amber showed them to the table right behind Lloyd's. Meg was saying something to Amber in a low voice, and Amber nodded, before pointing to another table that was farther away. Meg and Sacchun went to sit there.

"Huh? What was that about?" Gwen asked, looking confused.

"I think Meg's still cheezed about what happened." Katie said.

"Well that's normal, any girl would be, after what Kurt did." Gwen shook her head, disapointed by Kurt's actions. "But why at you guys? You didn't do anything."

"I guess it's 'cause I'm his brother..." Joe rubbed the back of his head. "I dunno, to be honest."

"Well let's call them over." Gwen stood up. Lloyd had a feeling that wasn't a good idea, but didn't try to stop her either.

"Hey!!" she waved over to them. Sacchun looked up from her menu and waved silently at Gwen.

"Why don't you guys come join us?" she asked. They didn't say anything. "Come on, we can move this table together and you guys can come sit!" Gwen called over. She immediately began moving a small table next to them and brought over two chairs. Meg glanced awkwardly at Sacchun and realizing they'd have no choice, other than seeming extremely rude, they got up reluctantly and sat down with them.

"Now that's better." Gwen said, sounding accomplished.

"I'm sorry, Gwen, it hasn't been the best couple of days." Sacchun said darkly. Meg said nothing at all, but continued to scan over the menu.

"The ball was fun, though, didn't you guys enjoy it?" Gwen asked, then immediately regretted it. Meg shot a pained glare at her and Sacchun just shrugged.

"Ah well... how about I take your orders then?" Gwen pulled a notepad out of her pocket and scribbled down their orders and dashing to the kitchen. The rest of them sat in uncomfortable silence.

"Wow... that certainly was quite a _faux-pas_, wasn't it?" Katie said, breaking the silence. She laughed lightly.

"I guess so." Joe said, with forced laughter.

"So what did you order... Sacchun?" Lloyd attempted to make conversation. Sacchun pointed to her order on the menu, but didn't say anything.

"Oh... Sausage and eggs, looks good." Lloyd said, leaning over to see her menu.

"Yeah." she said stiffly.

"So..." Joe said slowly. "Do you guys want to... come over to our place after? Maybe we can play Smash Bros. or something?" Joe offered hopefully.

"We're fine." Sacchun said, staring at her glass.

"Oh come on, you know, we have gifts for you guys." Lloyd coaxed. Sacchun looked like she was conflicted with the thought of gifts.

"Well... I guess it wouldn't hurt." she said.

"Yay! Want to rent a movie or something on the way back?" Katie asked. Sacchun and Joe both glanced at each other for a moment and then looked away.

"Oh yeah, Sacchun, that reminds me. I didn't get a chance to ask you about the movie! You were there that day, remember?" Katie said eagerly. Joe felt, for the first time in his life, like smacking her. That was the worst possible thing to bring up at this moment, but he knew it wasn't her fault.

"It..." Sacchun started painfully. "It was fine."

"Nothing special, huh?"

"Not really." Sacchun said dryly.

"Oh come on." Joe heard himself say, before he could stop himself. "What a load of bull. You were waiting for that movie for ages!"

"Well yeah, I was waiting to see it with... with someone." Sacchun said, finally looking Joe in the eyes. There was a moment as the air around them crackled with electricity. They glared daggers at each other. Lloyd looked tense, Katie was confused, and Meg stared at her plate.

"Ha." Joe broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Heh...heh..." Sacchun's face suddenly broke into a smile. Then before they knew it, Joe and her were laughing like two four year olds. They were laughing so hard, tears had formed in their eyes.

"Sacchun..." Joe said affectionately, recovering from his laughing fit. "Why are we even arguing? It doesn't matter. It's water under the bridge. I miss the days when we used to hang out, y'know." he said, smiling at her. Sacchun smiled back.

"You know what? Me too. I can't keep lying to myself. I'm just not complete without my other ninja half!" she said, giving him a thumbs up.

"Well, now that _that's _resolved, what about you Meg? You planning on talking to us sometime this century?" Lloyd spoke up.

"...I'm..." Meg sighed, as if exhaling venom. "I'm still pissed off." she said, then smiled appologetically to them. Joe gave her a clap on the shoulder.

"It's going to be okay. My bro was a jerk last night, that's for sure, but things will mend over time. As for Dia... well..." Joe raised his eyebrows. "If anything, she'll end up cuttin' again or something." he said. He didn't mean to make hurtful comments to her, but he just wanted Meg to cheer up again.

"So, are we all good now?" Lloyd asked, looking all around the table.

"We're good." Meg smiled.

"Hehe... Yep." Sacchun chimed in.

They all walked home together, and after unwrapping presents and enjoying Christmas morning together, they spent the rest of the day doing something only friends as close as them could (or would) do: go on a Super Smash Brothers marathon till the sun set.


	25. Would You Hate me if I Kissed You?

**/ Author's Note: **Waaah! Last chapter of the season. So much has happened. First of all, Happy New Years to everyone. This is a kind of New-Years-ish chapter, so I appologize (once again) for the lateness. Wow. So this is my longest chapter yet (over 6000 words!), and I was very critical on myself while writing this. After how long it took, I hope you guys enjoy it. So, plans for the future! Now that this season is done, I'm going to be taking a small break. The next "chapter" will be an epilogue, included with a FAQ with tons of questions regarding the story. Also, I'm going to rewrite or ... modify the first three chapters, just to make them longer and better in quality. Plus, I will work on some other projects that have been rattling around in my head for a while. I hope I managed to wrap things up nicely with this chapter, though remember, there's lots more to come!

I sincerely thank everyone who's stuck with me through Season 1, and hope to see you all back when I start Season 2 again! I'm glad the first 25 chapters have gone well, and way, _way _better than I expected. Your reviews are a constant source of motivation. Thanks for everything, and I hope you all enjoy the last chapter of Season 1! **End Author's Note / **

**06/2012 Note: **To avoid the wrath of 's sudden crack down, I'll be removing the lyrics to 'Pride' from this chapter. Unfortunately, this breaks up a part of the chapter somewhat awkwardly, so I welcome you to look up the lyrics yourself. The lines that were removed have been replaced with a symbol ([#]) to let you know where they would have been in the original version. Sorry about this!

Chapter 25: Would you hate me if I kissed you?

It was hard to believe, that as Lloyd, Joe, Sacchun, and Kurt walked to their school, that it would be the last time they would walk there that year. The music concert was held on New Years this year, in the evening, though it didn't last long enough to reach midnight, giving the students time to go celebrate with their family or anything else they decided to do. As for Lloyd and his friends, Gwen had invited them to a party at Doug's Place after the concert, which they were all planning to go to. Gwen had invited Nina, and told her that her sister, Popuri, was allowed to come also. This gave Karen an excuse to tag along, and even though she detested Gwen, she loved a good party.

They were all dressed fancily - no where near as fancy as they were for the Ball, but good enough, anyway. Lloyd and Kurt were both wearing black dress shirts and pants, because the music students were expected to wear that whenever they were to perform. Meg had gone early to rehearse, or so Sacchun assumed. She just left the building with her violin case, without a single word, and had yet to come back. Of course, Lloyd and Kurt, were all performing as well, but only for the first two songs. Then the String ensemble took over. Not that Lloyd minded - Music deffinitely wasn't one of his favourite subjects, and he rarely practiced his trumpet. He focused more on other subjects, and just wasn't a big music fan overall. They pushed open the doors (again, for the last time that year) and entered Flowerbud High. Tacked to the bulletin board was a program for the concert. Sacchun stopped to look at it, since she didn't acctually know what they were performing. The pieces they were playing were:

_White Christmas (Vocals by Karen Lucine)_

_March of the Nutcracker_

_Ukrainian Bell Carol_

_Silent Night (Vocals by Gwen Starre)_

_Pride (Vocals by Karen Lucine)_

"So you guys are in the first two pieces?" Sacchun asked, putting her index and middle finger on _White Christmas _and _March of the Nutcracker _respectively.

"Yep." Lloyd said, sounding bored.

"Great! I'll be sure to watch." Sacchun gave them a thumbs up. "Best of luck."

"Try not to screw up, Lloyd, or me 'n Sacchun will have something to say after the show.." Joe teased, giving her a thumbs up as well. Lloyd smiled. It was nice having Joe and Sacchun on talking terms again. All though he had failed to realise they were avoiding each other before, he had suddenly realised how much he missed seeing them talking together. Now that they were talking again, Lloyd felt like everything was back to normal. At least, slightly.

Carl, who was wearing all black, like the rest of the music ensemble, was standing in the lobby, giving directions to people. A lot of parents and students had come to see the concert, as well as some locals from Azure Street.

"Hey guys! Happy New Years. _There's _my sugarplum!" he said affectionately to Sacchun, giving her a nip on the cheek. She chuckled uncomfortably at her nickname again.

"Hey there." she said.

"Be sure to watch me tonight!" he said excitedly. "Anyway, Lloyd, Kurt, you guys have to go to the music room and get your instruments ready. You're on in half an hour!"

"I guess I'll see you guys after the concert. Do your best!" Sacchun waved.

"Don't screw up too bad, Bro." Joe playfully punched Kurt in the arm, then Lloyd. "Same goes for you." he smiled.

Lloyd and Kurt said goodbye and then proceeded to to the music room.

"So... things aren't going well with you and Meg since the ball, huh?" Lloyd felt he should talk to Kurt about this. Kurt shook his head, looking ill.

"What a fiasco. I don't know what I was thinking." he said, sounding miserable. "I'm an inconsiderate jerk. She deserves better." he sighed.

"Don't beat yourself up, man. I mean, what you did was... well... okay, it _was _pretty bad, but you know, things will work out. Meg acted immaturely as well." Lloyd tried to console him.

"No, she acted like any girl would've acted. She was right. What was I thinking? Kissing Dia like that..." Kurt obviously felt horrible.

"It was just a little Christmas kiss under a mistletoe. Those barely count!"

"I think Meg liked me..." Kurt said. Lloyd almost winced at his comment - it was _painfully _obvious that Meg had feelings for him.

"Well, yeah, sorry, but I think we all knew that." Lloyd said.

"R..Really? Wow, I only started considering it recently." Kurt said, looking stunned. Lloyd couldn't help but laugh.

"She blushes when you're around, always tries to get your attention, and stares at you all the time. Those kind of hints are hard to miss." he clapped his friend on the back.

"I guess you're right. Jeez, now I feel even worse." Kurt sighed again.

"Well, I'll admit, it wasn't the smartest thing. I think your best bet would be to just try and explain and appologize to Meg and hope she'll take you back." Lloyd said, though he had a feeling Meg wouldn't be so forgiving so soon.

"Um..."

"What? ... Wait, don't tell me you have _feelings _for..." Lloyd trailed off. He stopped walking and looked at Kurt. Kurt gave him a silent nod. He had feelings for Dia.

"Huh. Well, that might complicate things." Lloyd said, feeling a rush of pity for Meg. He knew he couldn't _make _Kurt like her, but he couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

"Yeah..." Kurt looked troubled.

"Like I said, everything will work out. Some way or another, I'm sure. I think what you should do right now is talk to Meg or Dia. I think we need to get this cleared up as soon as possible, before things get ... stickier. Between Meg and Dia, that is." Lloyd told him.

"Oh jeez... Meg better not..." Kurt shook his head again, breathing deeply. Lloyd wanted to console him, tell him that Meg probably wouldn't do anything to Dia, but Lloyd, himself, wasn't all too sure of that.

# # #

"There're two seats over there." Joe said, pointing to a few free seats.

"So what instrument did you say Katie plays?" Sacchun asked, pretending to be interested.

"Clarinet." Joe said, taking his seat. Sacchun sat next to him.

"Hey, so where were you during the ball? I didn't get a chance to see much of you." Joe asked.

Sacchun felt colour rise in her cheeks. The thoughts that went through her mind at the ball were flooding back. Moments later, they were washed over with the sudden image of Joe making out with Katie. _No wonder you didn't see me._ Sacchun thought with irritation. _You were busy with that... with Katie in your face._

"Oh, I guess you just didn't see me much." she said airily.

"Look! There's Katie now!" Joe said excitedly, as the lights dimmed and the musicians began walking on stage. He stood up and began to shout. "Go Katie! You rock! I love you!" he yelled encouragingly to her. She gave him a small wave and smile from the stage. People in the audience looked at Joe, yelling out to Katie. Some laughed. Sacchun felt irritated.

_What is he trying to prove?_ she thought, as Carl walked onto stage. She got up.

"GO CARL! You're the best, sugarplum!" Sacchun shouted at the top of her lungs. Joe looked at her oddly, as did many people in the audience.

"You rock that Viola! I love you! You show them what you're made of!"

"Sacchun..."

"What is it Joe? I'm busy! CARL! OVER HERE! OVER HEEEERE! YOU ROCK! AFTER THIS CONCERT, I'M SO REWARDING YOU WITH KISSES!"

"...Sacchun!"

"_What do yo want, Joe?" _Sacchun said aggressively.

"Nothing, but I think _she _might have something to say." Joe pointed to Sacchun's left, and Sacchun turned, finding herself face to face with a huffy-looking Manna.

"Sasha Yachiko, this isn't some kind of sports competition! Pipe down or you're out of here." she scolded. "You know, this almost counts as a public act of affection! When I was your age, we wouldn't be _dating _at your age, and we most certainly didn't yell out such things..." Manna rambled on. Sacchun pretended to listen. Joe watched the stage. Romana had appeared on stage, and the entire ensemble was standing, as a respectful gesture to their conductor.

"...and honestly, if you wanted everyone to know about your relationship, you may as well have just put up advertisements and..." Manna continued to ramble. She was soon the only person in the auditorium still talking, as everyone had fallen silent as Romana approached the microphone.

"...Honestly, and then you'd think he'd buy me some cheese, but he didn't even have the courtesy to do that." Manna said after a few minutes - she had completely forgot what she was talking about initially.

"Ms. D'Amour? You're kind of holding up the performance." Sacchun said as politely as possible. Manna looked around as Romana cleared her throat for the third time, waiting for silence. Manna looked embarassed and quickly sat down in the empty seat next to Sacchun.

"Ehem..." Romana cleared her throat primly once again, and Joe and Sacchun looked behind them. Ray and Eve were making sloppy make-out noises behind them. Eve stopped and started blushing and rubbing her head, embarassed. Ray just looked confused for a moment, as if he was hit in the face with no warning.

"Now then. Welcome all, to another one of Flowerbud High's Christmas concerts! This is the first year I've had the joy of teaching these students, and It goes without saying that they have worked _tremendously _to reach the point they are at now. Truly, it is amazing." Romana said, with a proud nod to the group behind her. "I'm sure you've heard your child, room-mate, or friend practice their instrument before tonight, but tonight you will see how the orchestra comes together in harmony and wholeness. I sincerely hope you enjoy tonight's show. Now then, our first piece - _White Christmas._"

Meg lifted her violin up as Romana raised her baton. Dia was next to her, trying to conceal her discomfort and failing. Meg smirked at her discomfort, she wanted Dia to _suffer_ in any way possible. And she was _going _to. Meg hadn't gone in early for nothing. She felt the excitement of her plan rise inside her as Romana began to count them in. The best part was, there were no traces left behind that could tarnish Meg's record - no one ever know she did anything. They began to play. Immediately, almost everyone turned their heads to Dia. Her strings screeched and sounded _badly _out of tune.

Meg smirked and resisted the urge to laugh maniacally, while Dia, simply stopped playing and attempted to tune her instrument. Romana shot her an angry glare for stopping in the middle of a piece, but she continued to conduct the rest of the group.

"_I'm... Dreaming of a White Christmas, just like the ones I used to know..._" Karen sang with incredible skill. The vibrato in her voice rang through the auditorium. "_Where the treetops glisten, and children listen, for sounds of sleigh bells ... in the snow..." _

Dia continued to tune, finding it increasingly difficult, since she had nothing to tune to. She kept tuning her strings until...

Meg let out a small laugh that could not be heard over the sound of the instruments. Two of Dia's strings had snapped. Romana looked incredulous, wondering how such a thing could happent he night of the concert. Dia kept her face expressionless, not even looking up at Romana. Some of the other musicians looked her way, wondering what was happening. Mary gave her a worried glance from behind the piano.

"_I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas, with every Christmas card I write...May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white..." _Karen sang.

Dia had no idea what to do. She just sat there, until the piece ended. The curtains fell as the piece ended, and there was a wave of applause from the audience.

"Dia! What on earth happened?" Romana asked sternly, trying to tower over her, though she was shorter.

"I... I don't know." Dia said honestly.

"You should've tested out your instrument before coming here, in case of something like this." she said sharply, making it sound like Dia's fault.

"Miss, I don't think it was Dia's fault. I mean, it's never happened before." Mary said. It was odd enough for Mary to acctually speak up, but in the defense of the uber-icy, gothy Dia?

"Well put that in the inventory room and take another spare one, we still have to perform our next piece. Quickly, Dia!" Romana said briskly, ignoring Mary's comment. Mary sighed softly.

"Yes." Dia walked off to the inventory room. Meg was satisfied. Of course, that wasn't all she had planned. She followed her sneakily and watched Dia enter the inventory. As Dia was examining the violins, she didn't hear or see Meg sneak up from behind and close the door. She pulled out a key she had snatched earlier - one that would lock the room from the inside. She grinned, a maniacal glint in her eye. She locked the door and put the key back on the rack in the office. Before leaving, she turned off the lights. Her work done, she practically skipped back to the stage and got ready for their next performance.

_ A performance completely devoid of that Ice queen._ Meg thought happily.

The curtains rose again as the beginning of _March of the Nutcracker _started. Kurt's drumming played a big part in this song, as it was a march. He raised the volume on his microphone and started to play. Keeping a steady beat, Kurt scanned over the group. He noticed the empty seat next to Meg, and the smirk playing on her lips.

_Where is Dia...? _Kurt thought, starting to panic. He felt his right hand fumble and he accidentally messed up a small part - but no one would notice. His hands were starting to rush, but he tried to maintain the rhythm. He pushed Dia to the back of his mind for the rest of the song.

_Just one more song, then I'm done. _Kurt thought to himself. The Ukrainian Bell Carol started. The chimes and the string instruments had a big part in this piece. Usually Kurt loved playing this song, but felt distracted this time.

The song came to a spectacular end and once again the curtains descended so they could get ready for their next performance. Kurt got off his seat and helped bring the drum set backstage. He looked over at Gwen, who was standing nervously. Her hair was tied in a lavender ribbon, and and she was wearing a light blue dress with white gloves on.

"Hey." he said, walking over to her.

"Ah... Hi." she gulped. Kurt smiled encouragingly.

"You'll do fine." he said, giving his friend a hug. She hugged him back.

"Thanks." she said softly, trying to ease her nerves. Kurt left her and the stage.

_Now to find Dia. And the best way to do that... Is to find Meg first. I've got five minutes before the performance starts, I can go find her._ Kurt thought to himself. He went to a large room behind the stage, where some students were getting a drink of water, putting in some last minute practice, or tuning their instruments. He saw Meg drinking out of her plastic water bottle and approached her. She put it down slowly as he did so.

"Meg... Have you seen Dia?" Kurt asked, trying not to sound as if anything was wrong. He tried to make it sound as casual as possible, but he had a feeling Meg was hurt, especially since the events at the ball.

"N-No." she stuttered.

"I know you have. Where was she, the last two performances?" Kurt asked, hoping he sounded more curious than angry.

"She... I don't know! If you're so worried about your little _girlfriend -_"

"She's _not _my girlfriend." Kurt said stiffly.

"Right." Meg approached him, so that they were only an inch away. "You're a lying, _cheating, backstabbing _bastard." she said in a low voice, so that only he could hear her.

"I don't know what you're up to, Meg, but I get the feeling its nothing good." Kurt said in an equally low voice.

"It's none of your business what I do."

"Well it's none of _your _business what _I _do!" Kurt said aggressively.

"Like kissing Dia at the ball while on a date with another girl?" Meg said, her tone sounding sharp and icy.

"You... you don't understand." he said, shaking his head.

"What _don't _I understand? What do you take me for?" Meg felt her temper rise.

"I'll see you around Meg." Kurt turned to leave, annoyed.

"Don't even bother. I don't want to see the likes of you ever again." she said coldly. Kurt felt chills go down his spine. He suppressed his rage and walked out of the room. Without looking where he was going, he walked right into Romana.

"Oh, I'm sorry Madame Melodia." he said, keeping his voice even.

"That's quite all right. Good work on your pieces today Kurt, though try not to -"

"- rush, I know." Kurt finished the sentence for her and walked away. Soon, people came pouring out of the small room and onto stage, and Silent Night started. Kurt walked off, and he saw Lloyd talking with Rick and Katie. He knew he couldn't avoid them.

"Heeey Kurt!" Katie said happily. Kurt couldn't say that he liked Katie too much. She was young, ditzy, annoying, slighlty airheaded ... and most of all, annoying. He tried to dismiss these faults for the sake of his brother, but still thought he could do better.

"Hi Katie." he said, through gritted teeth. He didn't want to put up with her right now.

"Sooo, you comin' to Gwen's big New Years eve bash?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was ... uh... going home to change now, acctually." he told her. Lloyd raised an eyebrow at this.

"I guess we'll see you there, then!" Rick said. "It's supposed to be lots of fun. Good job on the drums, by the way."

"Thanks Rick." Kurt said, smiling.

"I loved that little thing you did in the Nutcracker... that was something new!" Rick said enthusiastically. "You have to teach me how to play drums, some time, Kurt."

"Heh, right, I'll give you lessons some time." Kurt said, not really focusing on what he was saying. He smiled, waved, and walked away from the three of them.

"See ya there, Kurt." Lloyd called to him as he left. He could hear Gwen's performance ending. The last one was next - _Pride._ Not that it mattered - he now had only one thing on his mind: _finding Dia. _His first thought was to check outside, where she might have gone for a smoke. Then it hit him.

_ "Miss, I don't think it was Dia's fault. I mean, it's never happened before."  
"Well put that in the inventory room and take another spare one, we still have to perform our next piece. Quickly, Dia!"  
"Yes." _

Dia had them walked off to the inventory room. _But she hasn't come back yet! _Kurt thought suddenly, breaking into a run. He could hear the haunting melody of the song in the background. Pride was a dark, soulful ballad.

_[#] _Karen sang in the back ground.

He skidded to a halt when he reached the music room, sincerely hoping that there was nobody inside. He opened the door and looked around.

[#] He could still hear Karen's singing.

It was pitch black inside. He felt the wall for a light switch, and found one. Flicking it on, Kurt looked around to see if Dia was anywhere.

_The Inventory Room! _his mind kept telling him. He dashed to the door with the word _Instrument Inventory _on them and tried to open it. _Locked. That's not surprising._

_[#] _Karen's voice was strengthening.

Kurt ran to the music office, grabbed the keys, and ran back. He inserted the key and twisted it. He tried to turn it, but the old door was being stubborn. Kicking it open, Kurt's eyes went wide. Dia sat on a wooden box, tears streaked accross her face, a metal razor blade inches away from her wrist.

"NOOO!" Kurt yelled. He leaped towards Dia and knocked the blade out of her hand, a small cut appearing on his finger.

"...Kurt!" Dia gasped.

_[#]_

"Dia..." Kurt said, feeling out of breath. "You know this isn't the solution. You have to stop." he said, looking her in the eyes.

"Why would you care?" she turned away.

"Because... I want to be your friend! You know I do! And... " he trailed off. "...maybe something more than that." he felt himself blush. He couldn't help but feel attracted to Dia, finding her dark beauty irrestible.

"What ... did you say?" Dia said, sounding surprised.

"Dia..." Kurt said slowly, approaching her.

"What is it?"

_[#]_

"Would you... would you hate me if..." Kurt gulped and moved in so close, he could count her eyelashes if he wanted. "Would you hate me if I kissed you?" he closed his eyes. Dia, who was no good with words, pressed her lips to his in an instant.

# # #

"Beer, anyone?" Karen asked, winking and opening a can of beer.

"Hey! No over-doing it! No drunk shenanigans at my party!" Gwen yelled over at her.

"Are you suggesting I'm an irrational drunk?"

"Do I need to? I figured we all knew that by now." Gwen had an amused smile on her face.

"I think you just got yourself into a drinking competition, missy." Karen said, with a cat-like smile.

"You're on."

Lloyd, Sacchun, Joe, Katie, and Carl were all sitting on a couch in the huge basement of Doug's Place, where the party was going on. Gwen's huge plasma TV was on, showing the New Years event that always lead up to the countdown and the dropping of the ball. Streamers and balloons were all over the place, and music was playing loudly from a boombox. They watched Karen and Gwen chug down beer. It was an amusing sight.

"This'll be an interesting new years." Joe said.

"It can always get more interesting. _Rowr._" Katie said, seductively. Joe shot an uncomfortable glance in Sacchun's direction.

"Er... Not right now, Katie." Joe said sheepishly. Sacchun smiled to herself. It wasn't exactly what she wanted - heck, she wasn't even sure _what _she wanted - but all she knew was that she was happy that Joe and Katie weren't all over each other.

"Good job on your performance guys! It was so totally awesomely _sweet!_" Sacchun said happily.

"Could've been better." Lloyd said, looking at a pink haired girl standing with Ann and Eve. She was giggling uncontrollably.

"So is that Lyla?" he asked Sacchun.

"Huh? Oh, nah, that's Nina. Popuri's sister. Lyla couldn't make it. She's so ... mysterious." Sacchun said, with a hint of admiration in her voice. Lloyd still wanted to meet the infamous Lyla. Nina nodded to her friends and suddenly walked over.

"Uh... Hi!" she said in a high-pitched, girly voice.

"Hey Nina!" Katie said. Nina and Katie were best friends.

"This party is just, like, totally fab, don't you think?" Nina asked.

"Deffinitely. Guys, this is Nina. Nina, this is Joe, Sacchun, and Lloyd. You know Carl, of course."

"Hey." Joe waved.

"Hiya! I think we've met before or something." Sacchun said.

"Nice to meet you." Carl said sweetly.

"Hey." Lloyd said blandly - he wasn't all too fond of ditsy girls like Nina.

"Nice to meet you all! Lloyd, I just had to come over and say that you, like, _rock _at the trumpet! You were sooo good!" she said, blushing a bit.

Sacchun and Joe exchanged glances of pure amusement. _Nina had a crush on Lloyd!_

"...Thanks." Lloyd said, his eye twitching.

"You're really nice, you know." she winked.

"Right." Lloyd found Nina annoying. She was a lot like Popuri, in a way.

"We should hang out some time..." Nina started.

"Hey, uh, I'm going to go get drinks. Anybody want?" Lloyd said, getting up.

"Oh, Don't worry, I can get them!" Nina offered eagerly.

"That's okay Nina... Really." Lloyd said in a very fake cheerful voice. He walked over to the drink table, where Karen and Gwen were having their drinking competition. A small crowd was formed around them, made up of Dan, Kai, Ray, and Popuri.

"Iss not oveh till the blonde lady cries!" Karen hiccupped.

"You... yo' gon' be the one cryin', you crazy ... alien space penguin thing..." Gwen said, breathing heavily.

"Gwen, are you okay?" Lloyd said, looking over at his blonde friend. She didn't have the alcohol tolerance Karen did.

"Im fine you afro monkey! Don't you... don't you be judgin' me... Don't hate me just 'cause im blonddddee!" Gwen's speech dissolved into a fit of giggles. Karen giggled with her.

"You're real pretty y'know, blonde lady." Karen rubbed Gwen's arm. "We should like..." she hiccupped, "Go _crazay _if you know what I mean." Karen winked.

"I'm so in favour for this." Dan stared, clearly aroused.

"...Same here, bro." Kai said.

"Karennn! That's _Gwen _you're talking about! Icky Gwen! And You!" Popuri snapped at Kai. "Stop ogglin' her! You've got me right here!" she grinned, and forced herself onto Kai.

"Hey, Lloyd!" he heard someone call his name. He looked around and saw Mia calling him over. She was standing with Mary, Rick, and of course, Blue.

"Hey Mia! Hi Mary and Rick. And Blue."

"Lloyd! You were wonderful." Mary complimented.

"Thanks, Mary. You and Mia were great at the piano. You've really come a long way." he told her.

"Oh, well I'm still learning, _Mia's _the one who's a great teacher." Mary giggled.

"I guess that's also true." Lloyd smiled. He turned to Blue.

"So where was Ellen? I didn't see her at the concert... and I haven't seen her so far here, either."

"Oh." Blue said, as if suddenly remembering who Ellen was. "She went up north with her dad to visit family for New Years." he said uncaringly.

"That would explain it." Lloyd nodded. Ann walked over to join them.

"Hey Ann." he greeted.

"Ann! How are things?" Mia asked.

"Fine, this party rocks." she smiled, taking a gulp of beer.

"...Are you sure your dad would let you drink that?" Blue asked, knowing Ann's father pretty well after how long they had been dating.

"What he doesn't know, doesn't hurt him." Ann said, shooting a glare at Blue. Blue just shrugged.

"I.. It's not a big deal." Mia said, hoping there would be no more tension between the two.

"Blue, I didn't know you were good at playing the cello! You were wonderful tonight." Mary said.

"Thanks." he said gruffly.

"Ugh... What is my sister doing?" Rick said, watching Popuri make out with Kai. "And with that good-for-nothing sleazeball also... Mom's going to hear about this." he said, annoyed.

"Let her have some fun." Ann rolled her eyes.

"There's a difference between _fun _and acting like a wh-"

"Oh, bah. Let her be. You men are all the same." Ann snorted.

"I... buh... what?" Rick was taken aback by Ann's comment.

"You wouldn't get it, would you? You agree with me, right Mia?" Ann took another gulp of beer.

"...I... uh... Well not _all _Men are... Ah! Ann! What are you d-doing?" Ann grabbed Mia's arm.

"Ann, lay off the booze." Blue said, arms crossed.

"Yer not my father. And if you were, you'd be a _crappy_ one." Ann stuck out her tongue. "You know what I mean, right Mia?"

"...I can't say I do, Ann..."

"Let go of her." Blue said simply.

"Ann, you okay? Want some water?" Lloyd offered.

"Stay outta this!"

"No, I think Lloyd's right. You should get some water." Mia said, struggling to get free of Ann's grip.

"Mia, d'you hate me?" Ann asked. Mia stared at her.

"What? How could I... you're one of my best friends!" she said, looking incredulous.

"Well... would you hate me if..." Ann trailed off, her face turning red.

"What? Ann, you're not making any sense. I think you need some water." Mia said. She thought she had heard Ann say something but - it couldn't be that. That was silly. Ann wasn't even into...

"I said! Would you hate me if I kissed you right now?" Ann's eyes looked glossy. No one said anything. Blue looked mildly surprised - which, for the expressionless Blue - was quite a surprise in itself.

"I'm sorry Ann, I think I misheard yooo_oouu mmph! Ann!" _

They all stared as Ann pulled Mia into a kiss.

"A-ANN!" Rick looked bewildered.

"That's ... something we don't see everyday." Blue coughed.

"M-Mia, are you okay?" Mary asked, as Ann finally released the poor, shocked Mia.

"Pfft, like you haven't seen two people kiss before!" Ann said, frustrated at their reactions.

"Never two girls." Rick said.

"What difference does it make?" Ann yelled in his face.

"Calm down." Blue said sharply.

"Shut up, you. You can't tell me what to do." Ann gulped the remainder of her beer and walked off. The awkward silence she left in her wake was immense.

"I'll go... you know.. Get some drinks. My friends are waiting for them." Lloyd said, quickly leaving the scene. _Poor Mia. _he thought to himself. Clearly she had not expected what had happened._ Blue didn't exactly do anything, though_. Lloyd realised. _I guess he just got... turned on. _he snickered. As he walked back to the couch, he saw that someone had taken his spot during his absence.

"Meg!" he said, running to her. "It's great that you made it."

"Yeah!" she laughed, brushing snow out of her hair. "Sorry it took a while. I just had to check on something." she said, sounding happy.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me, where did Dia go after the first performance? Her violin got all screwed up and stuff."

"Haw! Lloyd! You forgot the drinks!" Sacchun playfully punched him.

"Sorry, Sorry! So anyway, you were saying?"

"Oh, I have no idea. I guess her violin was just badly tuned." Meg said, laughing.

"Guess so. Anyway, no point worrying about that now. Who knows where she is."

"...Acctually, she's right over there." Joe pointed, looking bewildered. Lloyd and Meg swung around. Dia was descending the stairs into the basement, and Kurt was accompanying her. He helped her get her coat off and hang it on the coat rack. Nearly everyone became silent as Kurt and Meg entered. The music and TV continued to blare on, however.

"Erm... Hi everybody." Kurt said sheepishly. He waved. Some people said 'Hi' back, but most were fixated on Dia. They could hear Karen and Gwen giggling together in the background.

"Heehee... and then he saids to me that I should be a professional heffalump hunter..."

"No way!" they giggled stupidly.

"Dia just wanted to... say something quickly." Kurt said. Dia looked up, sincerity in her eyes. She took a step forward.

"I'm really and truly sorry for how I may have treated any of you and... I just hope that in the future... we... can possibly become friends. I'd... I'd like that." she said, her voice diminishing towards the end of her sentence. Everyone stared. They had no idea what could have prompted this sudden change in Dia's personality.

"...Sure Dia!" Sacchun was the first to get to her feet. She walked over and grabbed Dia's hands.

"Of course we can be friends! Trust me, you'll love everyone." Sacchun smiled.

"...Th-Thankyou." Dia said. Her hands felt warm, enclosed in Sacchun's. The party resumed, and everyone was laughing and talking and having fun again. Meg, however, looked like a storm cloud had appeared over her head. Kurt walked over to her.

"Look, I'm sorry about everything that happened." he said quickly. Meg looked at him oddly.

"I'll just say it now, before this situation gets anymore awkward. Yes, I am going out with Dia. I like her, she likes me too. I'm sorry things didn't... well, work out between us, but I don't want our relationship to be non-existant?"

"I'm not a very forgiving person." Meg said, not making eye contact with him.

"Come on Meg. This isn't worth throwing away a perfectly good relationship. Please?" Kurt pleaded.

"I'll think about it." Meg said coldly.

"Come on Meg..."

"I _said _I'll think about it." she gave him a small smile. Kurt smiled back at her.

"Then that's good enough for now." he gave her a hug.

"Just one question."

"Yes?"

"...Would you hate me if I ignored everyone right now and _kissed _you?" her eyes glinted oddly.

Kurt looked at her. "I don't think that's a good idea..."

"...Yeah I know, just a last minute hope, I suppose." Meg laughed bitterly. Kurt hugged her.

"You're a good person. I know you are."

"...No, I'm not. But thanks anyway." Meg sighed.

Sacchun, Dia, Joe, Katie, Carl, and Nina, were all talking now, sitting together on the floor against the couch. Dia looked slightly overwhelmed, but they knew this was for the best. Dia would be more talkative in no time, but no where near talkative enough to compete with Manna.

Lloyd smiled. It looked like the New Year was going to pass without complications.

"Lloyd!" Sacchun tugged at his shirt. "Could ya get us our drinks now? And one for Dia, too?"

"I'm not your waiter, Sacchun!" he sighed.

"...Pwease?" Sacchun used her puppy-dog eyes.

"...Oh, fine." Lloyd gave in. He walked to the drinks table, and looked around. Karen and Gwen were out of sight.

"...Huh?" Lloyd looked down. The table... was giggling. "Gah!" He jumped back. After looking at it, he realised it was just two... drunk girls, underneath the table, giggling.

"Hiii Lloydie!" Karen looked up at him.

"You should join us? Want a beer?"

"I'm.. Fine. I'll just get some soda, thanks." he said, edging away from Karen.

"Nonsense, Lloydie! C'mon!" Gwen yanked him under the table.

"Ooooh, we have a new toy, Gwenners!" Karen gave her drunk partner a high-five. Lloyd found it increasingly amusing how they were acting together when drunk, compared to how they _usually _were.

"Whatchoo smilin' bout, you, mister man?" Karen leaned over him.

"Nothing, but could you please let go of me?" Lloyd struggled to get free.

"Oh come on, Lloyd. I knoooow you like me." she said, batting her eyelashes.

"You smell like beer."  
"Pssht! It's the smell of a _bootiful woman _like me!"

"That makes no sense."

"Well ... _your face _makes no sense... AAAH!" Karen screamed as Gwen pushed her off Lloyd.

"Leggo o' my Lloydo!" she said, burping. Karen rubbed her head and crawled out from under the table, giggling.

"Can I go now?" Lloyd pleaded.

"I have a great new years resolution for you..." Gwen said, leaning over him now. "Have some more fun... loosen up a bit." she rubbed his shoulders.

"I... I do have fun. Just not in the same way ... y-you guys do." Lloyd said, feeling his face grow hot.

"Lloyd, you're blushing." she said, her eyes glinting.

"I... Uh..."

"I know you love me, Lloyd." Gwen said, though it was mostly the alcohol speaking.

"Wh-What? I don't _l-love you_, Gwen." Lloyd said, panicking.

"...So you hate me? Aw poo." she puffed up her cheeks sadly, like a little kid.

"I ... I don't hate you."

"Hey everyone! The countdown's starting!" Lloyd heard Sacchun scream. "...and where the hell is Lloyd with my drinks?"

"Well... Would you hate me if I kissed you?"

"..._What?_" Lloyd's face turned as red as the eyes boring into his. He couldn't believe what was happening.

"Y'know... It's new years... romantic and stuff!" Gwen winked.

"Ten!" Meg shouted.

"Nine!" Kurt laughed.

"But.. Gwen... What about Ellen?" Lloyd asked, his heart beating.

"Who cares? She doesn't need to know..."

"Eight!" Joe yelled.

"Seven!" Sacchun said excitedly.

"Six!" Katie added.

"I... I don't know about this..." Lloyd said slowly, but couldn't resist anymore.

"...Five..." Dia said softly.

"Four, haha!" Carl laughed.

"Shmree..." Karen said, rolling on the floor, drunk.

"Two..." Lloyd whispered.

"One." Gwen planted her lips on his, and embraced him. She kissed him passionately, and Lloyd felt himself respond. She opened her ruby eyes and smiled warmly at him, embracing him.

"Happy New Years."


	26. SEASON 1 : Epilogue

**// Author's Note: **Epilogue time! Yeah, I acctually got around to this _waaay _later than I had intended to, but oh well, here it is. I meant to end my break a few days ago, but school has been annoying and so I haven't had time to acctually _complete _this epilogue and publish it. Even though it was supposed to come much later, Chapter 26 will be following rather soon as well. This is not an acctual chapter. It's just a kind of wrap-up of Season 1, to prepare you for Season 2. Included in this is also a FAQ featuring several questions I got from Season 1 (Thanks goes to Singkatsu as well for helping me out with this). The way this epilogue will work is that I will give each character's "Report Cards" - this will include their marks for the classes they've taken, and as well as some "comments". Now, on regular report cards, the comments section would have comments the Teachers have given, but I will use this space to give little wrap-ups of their respective story arcs.

Anyway, I just have to say, I love all my readers! You're all so nice, and your awesome reviews can honestly turn a terrible day into a great one. I've _never _made it this far in a writing project before, but your interest and anticipation keeps me writing. I won't make any rash promises here, but I do intend on seeing this project through till the end, and I hope you'll all be there with me. :)

(Oh, and in case you're wondering... since Spanish started rather late in the year, a mark was not given, eheh...)

**End Author's Note //**

Season 1 Epilogue: Report Cards

LLOYD CROSSWELL

Math : 78 English : 82 Biology : 97 Gym : 90 Music : 80 Spanish : N/A History : 72

Lloyd found himself in the middle of quite a few dramas this term, but did not expect himself to be part of one. Though he took Ellen to the Starry Night Ball, neither of them were sure what to do next, and they weren't even sure if they should consider themselves boyfriend and girlfriend. Before Lloyd gets enough time to talk to Ellen about this, a drunk Gwen ends up kissing him under the table at her own New Years party. Poor Lloyd, who had a crush on Gwen in the past, has to deal with his resurfacing feelings for the blonde and the issue of Ellen. Unfortunately, things will only get more complicated for him...

Lloyd spent his winter vacation with his friend Joe, and the two of them had gone snowboarding together quite often. They had even stayed overnight at a winter cabin on a skiing trip with Kurt.

JOE DAGETT

Math : 65 English : 73 Biology : 76 Gym : 95 Workshop : 93 French : 70 History : 58

Joe had never given a thought about relationships, and was never serious about them. It seems things quickly changed for him, as he was faced with the prospect of finding someone to go to the Ball with him. He and Katie hit it off easily, but Joe never took into consideration that his best-female-friend, Sacchun, might have developped even the teensiest of feelings for him. After the fiasco at the movie-theaters, Joe and Sacchun spent a lot of time avoiding each other, until they finally made up on Christmas. Though there seems to be a temporary moment of peace between the two Ninja-riffic friends, how long can this truly last?

Joe and Lloyd were together most of the vacation - playing video games, camping out, and snowboarding. Unfortunately, in a snowboarding mishap, Joe broke his arm and will be wearing a cast for the next few weeks.

SASHA YACHIKO

Math : 73 English : 80 Biology : 83 Gym : 95 Art : 88 Spanish : N/A History : 66

Sacchun never showed any signs of wanting to grow up, or even act her age. She was absolutely happy causing trouble and acting hyper all over the place. She knew she could get away with almost anything. She mostly confided in her best friend, Meg, but she knew she couldn't always depend on her. While everyone was looking for a date for the ball, Sacchun had witnessed Joe ask Katie out. Something had sparked inside her - she wasn't sure if she was jealous that Joe had a date that wasn't her, or just jealous of the fact that Joe had a date and she didn't. She marked it off as the latter, and used Carl to prove to Joe that she could get a date as easily as he could. Unfortunately, Carl was getting attached to her awfully quickly, and she was getting attached to him as well. She's happy with him, at least, for the moment.

Sacchun had been called up to visit her parents for the weekend, and unfortunately, she had no choice but to leave behind Flowerbud for a while and spend some time with her parents.

MEGHAN WINSLOW

Math : 89 English : 90 Biology : 94 Gym: 78 Music : 90 French : 91 History : 87

Meg had it all - brains, beauty, and a generally well-off life. She's had a crush on Kurt for ... forever, but has never acted on it. The arrival of "The New Girl" has deffinitely stirred things up quite a bit. Not only is Dia a violinist like her, but she caught Kurt's interest in no time. Meg knew that if she let things progress the way they were going, Kurt would end up with Dia, and Meg would be left in the dust. She picked up her violin after ages and began practicing daily, just to prove that if she could beat Dia in music, she could beat Dia in the game of love as well. Seeing Dia as an automatic rival, Meg treated her with bitterness and resent right 'till the end. After the Starry Night Ball, which Meg attended _with _Kurt, it became obvious that Kurt was interested in Dia _romantically. _Dreams shattered, Meg set out to ruin Dia on the night of the Concert, all in a selfish ploy to ease her own pain. She has come to terms with Kurt and Dia dating, however, and is trying her best not to rip Dia's head off.

Over the holidays, while Lloyd and Joe did their '_boy stuff'_, as she called it, Meg had the chance to bond with Katie. Though she still has no intention of ever warming up to Dia, Meg at least restrains herself from strangling her.

KURT DAGETT

Math : 81 English : 89 Biology : 78 Gym: 92 Music : 84 French : 82 History : 70

Kurt had his eyes on Dia since she came to Flowerbud High, and was completely oblivious to Meg's completely obvious crush on him. Though he agreed to go with Meg to the Starry Night Ball, he only did it because he had no one else to go with. When he found himseldfunder the mistle toe with Dia, he couldn't stop himself. After the chaos of the Concert, Kurt decided he wanted to be there for Dia, to help her through the tough times she was facing and to keep her from hurting herself. Thus, he became her boyfriend. He still feels bad for what he did to Meg, but he can't ignore his heart.

Kurt had spent a good part of his break with Dia, and found her to be quite an interesting person. He left on a ski trip with Joe and Lloyd, and came back towards the end of break.

DIA ELIZE

Math : 75 English : 79 Biology: 77 Gym: 60 Music: 91 French : 80 History : 95

Dia has faced a rough past, being thrown from foster family to foster family, after finally deciding to enroll at Flowerbud High and support herself. Her rough past lead her to cut herself and smoke. She's trying her best to break out of these habits though, with the help of her new boyfriend, Kurt. Though Dia had no intention on becoming mixed up in Kurt and Meg's relationship, it seemed inevitable. Kurt liked her, she had no idea what to think, and Meg hated her for it. Being involuntarily sucked into this mess, Dia had to put up with Meg's tormenting for a while. Though Dia is extremely cold and can sometimes be rather mean, she only really wants friends. She's just the kind of person who has no idea how to make friends. She tried calling Lloyd's appartment several times, hoping to just talk and appologize for anything she had done, but wasn't able to. Now however, she's friends with them, and going out with Kurt - hopefully this will help her a lot!

Dia spent a little while remodeling her student room with Kurt. Together, they had painted the walls and bought a few more items for her house. Her favourite was the cute stuffed black cat that Kurt had bought her, which was now sitting contently on her bed.

GWEN STARRE

Math : 86 English : 89 Biology: 79 Gym: 88 Music : 90 Spanish : N/A History : 63

Gwen is an extremely popular girl, and attends parties and social gatherings all the time. Her uncle is the culinary teacher at Flowerbud High, and the owner of Doug's Place, a restaurant that Gwen works at part-time. Gwen has been rivals with Karen since childhood, and when it comes to anything, they are always competing. Despite Gwen's popularity, she couldn't help herself having a crush on Lloyd, a very average guy.

Gwen hung out with her friends and lazed around most of the holiday, whenever her uncle wasn't calling her in to work.

KAREN LUCINE

Math: 73 English : 89 Biology: 87 Gym: 87 Music : 90 French : 89 History : 68

Karen's always been a party animal with a taste for alcohol. Since she's so fun to be around, she's the _other _most popular girl at Flowerbud High, and is a constant rival to Gwen. She's one of the few people who sees the good qualities in Dan, though she will not hesitate to beat the crap out of him if he makes a wrong move.

Karen went on a family vacation with her parents over the Christmas break, and returned with a tan that captivated Dan the moment he saw her. Of course, she remains unaware to what Dan got up to during _his _break.

KATIE BELLEVUE

Math : 81 English : 75 Biology: 73 Gym : 85 Music : 84 French : 78 History : 64

Katie had never gone out of her way to find a boyfriend. Being a good-looking cheerleader, who was in no way a prude, she expected _them _to come to _her. _Luckily for her, one snowy day at the Callaway Café, Joe asked her out. Not dating anyone else at the time, Katie agreed to go out with him. Though Katie is still young and barely mature enough to hold a serious relationship, she's starting to think Joe might be the one.

Katie and Meg spent a lot of their vacation catching up, while Joe and the boys were busy with their own stuff. Other than that, Katie spent a lot of her time hanging out with Carl at the Callaway Café, where they both work.

CARL CADIGAN

Math : 84 English : 93 Biology : 71 Gym : 69 Music : 85 French : 80 History : 87

Carl was another poor, innocent individual pulled in by the growing whirlpool caused by Joe and Sacchun. Carl's sweet, and just a bit naive - he never considered the fact that he might be being used by Sacchun. Another first-timer when it came to relationships, Carl became annoyingly clingy to Sacchun after she asked him out. Of course, he's happy with her, and nothing can change that at the moment.

Carl hung out with Katie for most of his holiday, since Sacchun was away most of the time. He spent time with his family, and helped decorate the Callaway Café. He also applied for a job at a new restaurant and bar that was opening up, but his hopes weren't high.

MIA WALLACE

Math : 95 English: 99 Biology : 97 Gym: 89 Music : 90 Spanish : N/A History : 98

Mia is the serene, mature, _sane _daughter of Principal Theodore, and more students respect her than her father. Being an innocent librarian with no intention to harm anyone in any way, Mia was recently thrown into an odd triangle made up of her, Blue, and Ann. Though she and Blue are currently supposedly going out, she has no idea why Ann's kiss from the New Years party has been on her mind. The whole affair has her terribly mixed up inside.

Mia did what anyone in her position would do over the holidays - read as much as possible. Nothing like burying deep confusing feelings with layers of knowledge and information from books. Though her Mother, who she lived with previously before moving to Flowerbud to live with her father, had sent her a present, she had not come to visit her for the break.

**F.A.Q.**

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

**Q: How old are the characters and what grade are they in?**

Most of the characters are between the ages of 16-18. There are some exceptions for teachers, of course. The main characters are in grade 10, though some characters acctually are a year older than them.

**Q: What's up with the school system?**

Well, I live in Quebec, and we have a pretty messed up school system! Though I understand it best, so I choose to use. Basically, Kindergarden to Grade 6 is elementary school for us, then from Grade 7 - 11 is High School. We have no Grade 12. That's the school system I'm following with Harvest High!.

**Q: Why is it called Harvest High if the school is called Flowerbud High?**

Eh, I thought it would be a bit too cliche to name the fanfic after the school. Besides, Harvest High sounds a lot better, and I didn't want people to think it was _only _a MM fanfic.

**Q: How long is this fanfic going to be?**

Assuming I _do _finish it, it'll be... quite long, haha. It'll only finish when im done this school year!

**Q: Will there be a sequel?**

That's way too far ahead to say, but ... well, I do have some things planned.

**Q: What games is HH! centered around?**

Though it should be obvious by now, HH! is mainly about Magical Melody and Back To Nature/More Friends of Mineral Town. Yes, there are some exceptions (like Romana), but they are rare.

Story Questions

**Q: Tell us about the main characters!**

Well, as you know by now (If you didn't, I'd be rather sad XD), Lloyd, Meg, Joe, and Sacchun are the main characters.

Lloyd is a rather average, laid-back guy. He doesn't excel in academics or in sports, but he loves nature. Biology is probably his best subject. He loves to go camping. He's very good friends with Joe and gets along well with Ellen also. He had a crush on Gwen a year ago, but tries to convince himself that he's over her.

Meg is an attractive, smart, though rather insecure girl. She has very little confidence in herself, which leads to her becoming very competetive when she feels threatened. She was a bit of a loner in elementary school, and didn't become very social until after she got into high school. She's played Violin since she was 9, but hated it. She picked it up again recently. She tried out for the cheerleading squad, but was shot down, which shot her confidence even more. She's still friends with Katie though, and has a more-than-obvious crush on Kurt.

Joe is a relaxed, laid-back, lazy, guy. He doesn't care much for school, and thinks it's more important to just have as much fun as possible. It's not much of a secret that he's not the brightest person, as seen in some of the decisions he makes. He loves videogames, ninjas, and ninja-related videogames. His best friend is Lloyd, and his best _female _friend is Sacchun.

Sacchun is the hyper, fun, ninjalicious character. She's acctually half-japanese, from her father's side. Sacchun comes from a very rich family, and they wanted to send her to a private academy. She was sick of her parents and decided to live and go to Flowerbud High. She's hyper, bouncy, positive, and popular. I don't think there's a single person in Flowerbud High that dislikes her!

**Q: They are in High School, so why do they have dormitories?**

Well Flowerbud High offers a unique program where teenagers can accquire independence earlier on, since most teenagers their age do want it! Of course, it's a lot more strict than College dorms, and requires approval from the parents and everthing. There are certain restrictions also, since they are obviously younger than College students. The student buildings, as they are called, are within the School's vicinity as well.

**Q: Why does Flowerbud High have two auditoriums?**

Flowerbud High has two auditoriums because one is used for Plays and concerts and presentations and is slightly bigger, while the other one is made for assemblies and announcements.

**Q: What's up with the Lunch Dome?**

I think It is _much _cooler than just a regular cafeteria. It's more fun to write about also, and was ideal for certain events like Haunted High and the Starry Night Ball.

**Q: Why does Theodore love Waffles so much?!**

I get this question a lot! The origin of Theodore's waffle obsession goes back to last summer. I was writing a fanfiction mostly about Lyla coming to Flowerbud Village, and since I needed _some _element of comedy, I made Theodore obsessed with waffles. Why waffles? Because everyone else on the internet either obsesses over Pancakes, Pie, or Cookies. Waffles is such an underrated food, I decided to use it!

**Q: Why is Dia a goth?**

Well, I figured I needed a gothy character, and Dia wasn't exactly bright and perky in the games. So I decided that Dia must become a goth! Though as you can see she will probably change from now on. We'll see how everything goes!

**Q: Are Meg and Kurt a couple?**

After reading the last chapter, I guess no. But not all couples that occur now will be "official" couples at the end of the story.

**Q: GRAH! Put _so-and-so _and _so-and-so _together!! They're a perfect couple!**

Er, while I appreciate the feedback, I have a lot of the couples worked out in my head (and a lot that I still haven't decided on). Please don't hurt me if your favourite couple isn't in the story... like I said, there will be some weird couples, but only 'cause they're fun to write about. Some couples in the game just... made no sense, and were in my opinion, very boring. Like Maria and Ray for example - they were barely even _near _each other in the acctual game, and yet somehow they were in love.

**Q: Why are Karen and Gwen rivals when it comes to popularity?**

Well, since they were kids, Karen and Gwen were just really competetive with each other. But they're both smart, good-looking, and fun to be around, so unsurprisingly when they got into high school they were instantly popular. So basically, it has less to do with the popularity, just the fact that they are both very competitive with each other!

**Q: But... they were friends when they were drunk...**

Yes, they got along quite well, didn't they? But now you must ask yourself - were they just too drunk to realise, or is this some hinting that they acctually do like each other deep, deep, _deep _down? That's for me to know and you to speculate over.

**Q: Where is _so-and-so_ character?!**

Ah yes, one of the most popular questions. Don't worry, you'll see _almost _all your favourite HM: FoMT and MM characters eventually. Whether they have a huge role or a minor role, they _will _appear.

**Q: Why are Alex and Gina part of the staff?**

Because... I can't imagine either of them as students, to tell the truth. They will have a bigger role later on in the story. Alex is around 32 years old, and Gina's around 28.

**Q: Does Carl like Sacchun, or just think he does? Whats up with their relationship?**

Carl likes her _now_, but originally he didn't really. Their relationship is stronger than either of them expected it to be, since Sacchun was originally planning to 'use' him to get back at Joe. Sometimes the best of plans backfire!

**Q: What's with the Sub-basement in the School? (Ch. 13)**

Well that's the basement... underneath the school's basement. It's a huge underground kind of basement that stretches far underneath Azure Street as well. They may or may not visit it again, I haven't decided.

**Q: How long have the characters known each other?**

A while. At least two or three years now, I'd say.

**Q: How big is the school? **

The school is three flours - a ground flour (with the lunch dome), an upper floor, and a lower floor. I'm making a diagram of it that I'll try and put up soon!

**Q: How do they get all their money?**

For now, Parents. That's my little excuse, haha. Later on, there will be part time jobs for the characters that will add quite a bit to the story.

**Q: WHY WAS MEG SO CRAZY TO DIA?!**

Never underestimate the mind of a clever, vengeful, slightly-less-than-sane blonde teenager. She was driven by jealousy and anger mostly, though. She's not really _that _evil though, but she wasn't thining about anything but revenge.

**Q: Dia's Violin... broken? Isn't that bad?**

As a violinist, I can tell you that strings snap all the time. It's acctually not that big a deal, haha. Which is why Romana wasn't really freaking out over it. They can be easily replaced, so don't worry, her violin will be fine :).

**Q: Why is Kurt still nice to Dia after they fought in Chapter 3?**

Because... Kurt is a very forgiving guy. He lost his temper then, but he really _did _want to be friends with her.

**Q: If Joe is staying with Lloyd, where is Kurt?**

Kurt has his own student room, though he acctually stays alone (like Dia, haha!). And don't worry, he's not a loner, he just prefers to have his own space than have to share with annoying people (cough-his brother-cough)

About Season 2 (Sneak Peak!)

The new semester is starting at Flowerbud High, and it is already off to an interesting start. Joe tries his best to get around school with a cast on his arm, and finds that Katie is being slightly more distant than usual for reasons she keeps to herself. Even more suspision arises as Sacchun returns from visiting her parents, and seems very somber about something that occurred while she was there - something she refuses to tell anyone, not even Meg. Students are still trying to come to terms with Kurt and Dia dating, and both of them are trying their best to remain strong. However, It seems things can only get more complicated with the appearance of one of Flowerbud High's most powerful students, and though her intentions remain unclear, it seems they deeply involve Lloyd and his friends...


	27. Here We Are Again

**// Author's Note: **Yay! I'm back! A tad later than I expected, but I am back with the first chapter of our new season! Though it is not all that exciting, I can assure you I have some _very _interesting things planned for this season of Harvest High! Of course, I'd like to thank all the people who have stuck with me thus far and who continue to read this High school fanfic. If you're wondering about Valentines Day, I do have plans for that, but sadly they may end up being a little late if I can't get a few more chapters out soon. Sorry about that, but I guess things just work out like that.

I have to admit, I missed writing Harvest High for a while. It feels good to be writing again. I'll be trying to balance HH! and Moonthorn indeffinitely, but I don't think I'll do that great a job at it. HH! kind of has a priority over Moonthorn, because it takes place in roughly real-time, so don't expect there to be constant Moonthorn updates. I will however, try my best to get a few chapters out of that. Well, I won't keep you waiting any longer, here's Chapter 26! **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 26: Here We Are Again

'_...and even though their first adventure was over, they knew that before long, a new one would arise - a new beginning, a new journey, and a new ending.' _

Mary closed the book with a satisfied sigh. Looking up, she noticed that she was not so far away from Flowerbud High school now. A light winter wind caught her black hair, and Mary grinned happily. Finally, the new term had begun. Mary had read through an amazing series of novels and was ready to get back to the daily routine of school life. She quickened her pace as she walked towards Flowerbud High.

"Maaaaaaaaary!!!" she heard a voice call from behind her. Before she could react, she nearly fell forward as someone crashed into her.

"Aaaaah! What in the name of... Sacchun!!" Mary whipped around, regaining her balance.

"Heya Mary! Brr... It's cold. Don't ya think so? Are you excited for school? I am!" Sacchun was looking as bouncy and hyper as ever, as if she had way too much energy stored up inside her.

"Did you have a nice break? I didn't, I had to stay with my blahh parents, and they're just _SOOO boring! _But now I'm back and I can't wait to see everyone again and, and..." Sacchun continued. Soon, Mary heard more voices from behind her.

"Hey, Sacchun, wait up! You're going too fast!" Joe ran after her, a cast around his right arm. He caught up and put his left hand on her shoulder. "Hey Mary, how was your break?"

"Oh, It was quite allright. What about yours, Joe?" Mary asked politely. She stared at his cast. "Er... what happened?"

Before Joe could respond, Lloyd came up behind Joe, wheezing.

"Jeez... Why do you guys insist on running?!" he said, rubbing his eyes, and yawning.

"Still tired, Lloyd?" Sacchun giggled.

"You can't blame _me! _My sleeping pattern decides to mess itself up with any chance it gets." he groaned. Mary giggled.

Joe laughed. "Anyway, let's just say... Hmm... How can I say this in a way that doesn't make me look bad?" he said jokingly.

"You tried to do some kind of idiotic ninja maneuver on a snowboard and wiped out." Lloyd said flatly.

"I can't say that, that's the truth!"

"Exactly."

Mary laughed. "How long do you have to keep the cast on?"

"Six to eight weeks, I think. That's what the doctor said, anyway." Joe said slowly. Suddenly, his expression turned to one of joy. "Hahaha! This means I don't have to do any work for the next couple of months! This rocks!"

"...Joe, aren't you left-handed?" Mary pointed out timidly.

"Oooh, Can I sign your cast, Joe? Can I? Can I?" Sacchun asked excitedly.

"...and besides, this also means you won't be able to play that many videogames." Lloyd told his poor, injured friend. Joe's happy expression diminished in a matter of seconds.

"Damn. There goes that plan... Wait... They don't need to know I'm left-handed!" he said, an evil grin spreading accross his face.

"Besides," another voice joined them from behind. "If you did that, you'd just have to catch up with all the work you missed. Totally _not _fun."

"Megggg!" Sacchun leapt on her and hugged her. Meg smiled impatiently.

"Sacchun, that's the seventh time you've done that since you got back!"

"I can't help it! I missed you!" Sacchun said affectionately.

"Have you seen Carl yet?" Meg asked, relieved when Sacchun let go of her.

"Hmm, not yet, but I'll see him once we get to the school! Oh, I'm so excited!" Sacchun began to hum happily to herself.

"I can't believe she can be so ... happy... about... _school!_" Joe said with obvious disbelief.

"Psh, yeah right. I don't care about school, I just want to see all my friends again!" Sacchun laughed.

In a matter of minutes, the group was standing at the front doors of Flowerbud High. Some students were chatting away happily, and some looked a _little _unhappy to be back. Sacchun had ran off to go talk to some of her other friends, and Lloyd finally opened the doors.

"Well," he said, as the doors closed behind them. "Here we are again."

"Yep." Meg said, nodding slowly.

"JOOOOOOOOOOOE!" Katie came running through the crowd and threw herself around Joe, careful not to hurt his injured arm.

"Agh... Katie! Nice to see you." Joe said with a painful grin. She just wasn't careful enough.

"Hmm... I hope this doesn't mean we can't make out, right?" Katie said, looking sadly at the sling around his neck that was supporting his arm.

"I don't think it'd get in the way but... Nothing aggressive, okay?" Joe said, sounding slightly afraid. Katie grinned.

"I'll do my best." she said mischievously.

"Katie! I'm serious!"

"So am I." she said, with a cat-like grin.

Mary smiled sourly to herself. "It's a good thing Sacchun isn't here to see this." she said softly to herself. She didn't expect someone to hear her.

"What was that, Mary?" Lloyd asked.

"Hm? I'm sorry, It was nothing."

"Is there something you're not telling us?" Lloyd asked, with a playful grin.

"No..." Mary said slowly. _You people are just way too easy to read..._

"Hey guys!" a voice called over, making its way through the crowd of chattering students.

"Kurt!" Lloyd waved.

"Nice to see you." he said, moving towards them. Beside him was a flustered-looking girl in a long green skirt and a white turtle-neck. Her unmistakable _Still-Can't-Quite-Get-It-Right _smile in place, they automatically knew she was Dia.

"Wow Dia, looks like someone's finally discovered clothing with _colour!_" Katie said in mock disbelief. Dia nodded slowly.

"Kurt... helped me pick these out." she said softly. Kurt smiled at her.

"And don't they just look great?"

Everyone nodded. It seemed like Kurt was a good influence on Dia - she wasn't quite as timid, somber, or depressed lately. She was still working on the whole _smiling _thing, but she was getting there.

"I see we're getting some new classes this term." Dia said, looking through her new time table for the semester.

"Oh yeah, we should probably go get those." Meg said, looking over at the different tables.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Lloyd said to Meg.

"Huh?"

"Kind of like the first day of this school year, isn't it? Still kind of freaky to think how quickly it's all gone by." he said, his eyes portraying his nostalgia.

"Haha, yeah. A lot has happened." Meg said thoughtfully.

"Dia is living proof of that, isn't she?" Mary added.

"That she is." Lloyd agreed.

They all split up to go into their respective lines, which were organized by last name once again. When they had gotten their new time tables and newsletters, they all sat at a table in the Lunch Dome until the announcement came on signaling that classes would start.

"We have to take Culinary classes?" Lloyd stared at his time table, the brilliant winter sunlight pouring in around them.

"Oh, how fun!" Joe said sarcastically.

"I know I'll _ace _that class." Katie said with confidence.

"I'll second that. Your cakes are the best!" Joe said, grinning. "Your cupcakes, too." he licked his lips. Katie put a hand on her hips and grinned.

"Is that supposed to be some kind of innuendo, Mr. Dagett?" she asked playfully.

"If you want it to be." he grinned. She laughed and hit him playfully.

"OW OW OW OWWWW! Nooo!" Joe yelled, as she hit him on his bad arm.

"Oh crap, I'm sorry Joe! I forgot!" she put her hands over her mouth as she gasped. Joe rubbed his arm very softly and winced. "That's okay... Just... be careful, please?" he said, realising how much of a hasard it was going to be, hanging out with Katie.

As they all continued to compare their new time tables ("We _still_ have math as homeroom?!" Lloyd groaned), they were visited by a certain girl with dirty blonde hair and long blonde bangs. Karen was wearing a stylish thin red sweater and khaki pants.

"Hey Karen!" Joe greeted. Katie looked uncomfortable, and Karen glared at her - she was one of _Gwen's _friends.

"Hi there. Enjoyed your vacations, everyone?" she said with a wide smile. Without waiting for a response, she continued. "I need to talk to Lloyd. Is that okay? Can I borrow him? Thanks." She grabbed Lloyd's arm and steered him to the side of the dome, where no one would hear them.

"Whoa!" Lloyd looked curious as to what Karen had to say.

"Lloyd." she said firmly, her attitude suddenly changing. Lloyd could have sworn he had seen flames in her eyes.

They intimidated him. "Y...Yes?"

"You." she said, through gritted teeth.

"Yes... Me. What ... about me?" he asked slowly.  
"You. And. Gwen. Making. Out. At. The. Party!!" she growled through her firmly barred teeth. Lloyd felt as if his stomach had dropped out from inside him. Of course he had _thought _about the kiss over the holidays, but he didn't realise he'd have to deal with it so soon. He stared Karen in the face, which was like trying to stare down a bengal tiger.

"...Karen? What are you talking about? That never happened." He lied.

"Oh, shut up!" she glared.

"Maybe you had had just a bit too much to drink?" Lloyd ventured.

"Nice try. I've had that one used on me _waaay _too many times, buster. Besides, I have witnesses." she said, flipping back her golden hair.

"Okay, fine... What's the big deal, anyway? Gwen was drunk and..."

"And you didn't even try to stop her! I bet you were enjoying it, you 'n Gwen all -" she imitated kissing sounds "- yeah. You get it." she continued to glare.

"I couldn't stop her! She's really strong when she's drunk! Kind of like you, come to think of it..." Lloyd said to himself, recalling the whole P.A.-system hijacking incident.

"Suuure. I'm disappointed in you, Lloyd. I thought you had better taste than... _that._" she said sourly.

"Hey, It wasn't my fault! Both of you were drunker than - well, I can't even think of a comparison, because you two are the drunkest people I can think of at the moment!" Lloyd said aggressively.

"Right, right." Karen didn't seem to be listening to him at all. "You don't know what you've gotten yourself into, Lloyd! I always thought you were kind of cute, y'know, but now you're with _Gwen?!"_

"I'm not _with--_"

"But anyway, if this is how it is, then so be it. You'll regret it! Mark my words!" she said in a dangerous tone.

"You're being ridiculous, just so you kn--"

"Yo babe, what are you doing over here with this loser?" Dan's smooth voice entered the conversation. He put a tanned hand on Karen's shoulder and flashed a grin that was extra sparkly because of the sunlight in the dome.

"Shut up Dan!" she said, smacking him in the face for no apparent reason.

"Yikes, what'd I do?"

"Your _mom!_" she growled.

"I'm pretty sure I didn't..." Dan rubbed his face.

"And Karen... aren't you supposed to be suspended? Cause of the whole P.A. thing?" Lloyd asked quizically. Karen glared at him and walked off, fuming, ignoring her boyfriend. He took one look at Lloyd, as if hoping he hadn't seen that, and went off to follow her. Lloyd watched Karen walk into plain view of Theodore, who was watching over all the students before the new term. He jumped up (his small little top-hat nearly falling off) and shrieked.

"KAREN LUCINE! I TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT OF HERE!" he yelled, running after her. Karen frantically ran towards the exit, hoping the squat man would not catch up to her and extend her suspension. Dan watched as his girlfriend was chased out of the school, unsure of what to do.

Smirking slightly, as Lloyd walked back to the table, he wondered what Karen would have done if she had seen how she acted with Gwen at the New Years party. When he got back, he saw Ann standing by them and talking to Katie frantically.

"Hey there, Hey Ann." Lloyd said.

"What was that all about, huh Lloyd?" Joe asked. Lloyd shook his head, mouthing _'I'll tell you later'_ to his friend. Joe nodded and turned back to Ann.

"Oh, Hey Lloyd... Sorry, I'm just a little stressed out." she shook her head hopelessly.

"What happened?" Meg asked, eating a cookie she had produced from nowhere. Ann sat down and beckoned for everyone to move in closer, so that no one else would overhear things they weren't meant to hear.

"You remember at the New Years Party..." Ann started, in a very low voice. "I may have gotten... a little tipsy." she said with obvious embarassment. Lloyd snorted.

"Okay, fine, maybe a bit _more _than a little. But Still! I ... think I may have done something I regret..." Ann's face went a shade of red to rival that of her hair, and Lloyd suddenly realised what this was all about.

_Ann._

_Mia._

_A kiss._

"Oooh, ooh, what happened?" Katie leaned in closer, eager for juicy details.

"I ...k-kissed someone." Ann said hesitantly, as if uncomfourtable sharing this information with so many other people.

"Who was it? Who's the lucky guy?" Katie nudged her friend with a wink.

"...Well, y-you see... That's the thing..."

"Come on, spit it out, girl! Don't keep me waiting!" Katie pushed her playfully.

"It wasn't exactly..." she said the last part very softly, "...a guy."

Katie stared at her. "What?! I don't think I heard you properly, Ann..."

"You heard fine!" Ann said miserably. "I kissed a girl, and I regret it now." she buried her face in her hands.

"You still haven't told us who it is." Meg said, watching Ann intently. Ann looked up, her face, if possible, even redder than before.

"It was Mia." she said in a low whisper. They all stared, save Lloyd and Mary, who had witnessed it.

"Well..." Katie shifted uncomfortably. "Like you said, you were drunk. It wasn't your fault."

"Try telling that to Mia! She's been avoiding me all morning and it's driving me mad!" Ann whined.

"Maybe it's just your imagination." Joe said. "Maybe she's not avoiding you at all."

"No, I'm sure she's avoiding me. Trust me." Ann said tearfully.

"She'll have to get over it eventually." Meg added in.

"I think... You need to talk to her about this." Katie said in a surprisingly mature voice. Ann looked horrified.

"_Hi Mia, Sorry I KISSED you and all, are we cool?" _Ann rolled her eyes.

"...Not like that, dummy. Just try talking to her, and if the kiss comes up... Eh, tell her the truth. You were drunk and weren't entirely sure of what you were doing. You two have been friends since like, forever, she won't forget about you that easily." Katie said, sounding determined.

"I'll... try."

"Yes you will!" Katie gave her a slap on the back. "Look, there she is now! Go, go, this is your chance!"

Ann looked up from the table and saw Mia enter the lunch dome. They all turned to look at her. Their eyes locked for a moment, and Mia whirled around and left the lunch dome in a hurry.

"...Okay, so I guess It's _not _your imagination." Joe chuckled uncomfortably.

"I guess things will blow over eventually. I'll just ... I'll try and talk to her, okay?" Ann said, before getting up and going to join Ellen and Blue, who were sitting together, talking.

The announcement signaling the beginning of classes crackled on, and Gina's voice was heard all through the lunch dome. Students gathered their stuff and prepared to go to the day's second period class - The first period was taken up by getting everyone ready. Mary watched silently as people began exiting the lunch dome.

_A new beginning, a new journey, and a new ending... _Mary thought to herself. With the hint of a smile, she turned to leave as well.

_This semester will be very interesting indeed..._


	28. Clash of the Cooks

**// Author's Note: **Whooa, okay. I need to update more, and I appologize! I guess getting into the habit of writing more often isn't as easy as I thought it would be. I am aware that I missed Valentines Day, but don't worry, I _still _intend on putting up a Valentines-themed chapter _sometime _this month. I had some trouble with this chapter, seeing as half of it got deleted and I had to rewrite it, but in the end I think it's fairly good. I hope you all like it!

As for Karen's suspension, which I completely forgot about (thanks to DarklightZERO for reminding me!), I edited the last chapter to make it seem as if she was _sneaking in,_ which she is doing again in this chapter. Also, Doug doesn't _know _she's suspended, so that's why he doesn't want to do anything about it! Enough out of me, go read this chapter! **End Author's Note//**

Chapter 27: Clash of the Cooks

_Math... boring... _Lloyd struggled to stay awake. Mr. Brassen had immediately started their newest lesson, and already the numbers were boring everyone to death. Even on the first day back after their long break, _nothing _would make Math any less boring.

"Numbers... must... die..." Lloyd heard a loud snore from behind him. Snickering, Lloyd turned around, not surprised to see Joe, asleep on his open math notebook, muttering to himself.

"Mr. Dagett!" Mr. Brassen tapped his desk loudly. Joe did not respond. He walked over to him and shook his good arm awake. Joe opened his eyes lazily and looked up at Mr. Brassen.

"Huh...?" he blinked.

"Just because you have an injured arm and can't take notes, does _not _mean you can fall asleep in my class!" he scolded.

"...Where am I?" Joe asked uncertainly, not entirely awake yet. Mr. Brassen let out a groan of frustration as the class burst out laughing. Mr. Brassen snapped his book shut just as the bell rang, and the students got up to yawn and stretch.

"So... did you get any of that at all?" Eve asked Lloyd, with a small laugh.

"I'm sure I _would have... _If I was paying attention." Lloyd said, blinking a few times to wake himself up.

"Which you weren't." Eve grinned.

"Which I wasn't." he sighed. "You seem to be in a happy mood."

"Oh, well, I kinda am. I'm getting a job!" she said excitedly.

"Really? Where?" Lloyd asked, opening his locker.

"The new restaurant and bar opening up - The Moonlight Bar. I get to be a bartender!" she giggled excitedly.

"Aren't you.. under-age?" Joe asked, obviously eavesdropping.

"Well, yeah, but the owner, Duke - who is also Manna's wife, by the way -"

"Ew, Who'd want to marry that thing?" Joe said in disgust, even though he knew very well that she was married.

" - And he is _also _my uncle."

"What?! Doesn't that mean Manna is your aunt?" Lloyd said, completely taken aback by this information.

"I guess so, but not really. I never see her at family events or anything... but anyway. Working as a bartender means extra cash _and _free drinks. This is awesome." Her ruby-red eyes showed obvious excitement.

"I know _someone _who would like that job." Lloyd said, thinking of Karen.

"So where was it? The Moonlight Bar, you said?" Joe asked, as they gathered their stuff and headed for their next class - Culinary.

"Yes, in fact, I have a pamphlet here." Eve pulled one out of one of her folders and handed it to Lloyd. Lloyd passed it to Joe and he took it with his left arm.

"Whoa!!!! Not _The _Moonlight Bar!!" he said, looking shocked.

"Yeah... What's so shocking about that?" Eve asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Well this is only the _hottest _location for Valentines' Day!! _Everyone's _talking about it!" he said incredulously.

"It... is?" Eve asked, the gears in her head beginning to turn.

"You bet. This is great - I thought It'd be too expensive, but now that I _know _someone, you can _totally_ get Katie and me reservations!" Joe said excitedly.

"Whoa, whoa, I haven't even gone to my first day yet, don't start getting all these ideas."

"Oh come _on. _He's your uncle! Of course he'll let you give out free reservations! Just remember that if you can, Katie and I are at the top of your list, got it?" His eyes twinkled with excitement.

"I guess so. Hmm... I guess Ray and I can have a romantic date there, then." she said happily.

"Oh, and you can probably hook us up with some discounts..." Joe continued to think of the possibilities.

"I can prepare our drinks... maybe some light wine or..." Eve pondered to herself out loud. Lloyd continued to watch them until suddenly wondering what would happen for Valentines' Day. An image of Ellen appeared in his head, quickly overshadowed by an even bigger image of Gwen, and Karen hitting her over the head with a hammer.

_Wait, I don't like Gwen. _he thought quickly. He felt an uncomfortable nagging voice in his head that seemed to be prodding his brain with a stick, muttering '_That's a lie'_ over and over.

"Careful, Lloyd!" Joe said as Lloyd almost tripped down a step.

"Sorry." He said absently.

"Just be careful. We don't want another one of you with a broken arm!" Eve said, with a silvery laugh.

"Yeah..." Lloyd said softly, suddenly thinking about the New Years party. Those words still echoed in his head...

_"Happy New Years."_

---

The first thing the class saw as they filed into the large basement classroom, was a girl with dirty blonde hair standing on top of a stove, closing one of the top windows which was above ground.

"Karen?!" Lloyd exclaimed in bewilderment.

"Heyy... It's Karen! On top of a stove!" Sacchun said excitedly as she entered. Sacchun dropped her books down on a nearby table and walked towards Karen.

"Aren't you supposed to be suspended?" she looked up into the girl's face.

"Don't tell me you snuck in... _again..._" Lloyd slapped his hand to his forehead. Karen jumped down from the stove with cat-like elegance and a trail of smoke behind her.

"Yep." Karen said simply, flashing an impressive grin.

"That's so awesome! You snuck into the school just like... a... a ninja! Oh, and your foot is on fire." Sacchun added.

"Wh-What?!" Karen yelped and hopped around, kicking her flaming shoe off and stomping on it with her other foot. Once the fire was successfully put out, Karen glared at the stove. "Who the hell leaves the stove on when no one is in the classroom?"

"Actually, this room can get fairly cold during the winter, the stoves are put on occasionally as an additional source of heating." said a serene voice, joining their conversation.

"Hello there, Mia!" Sacchun said enthusiastically. The rest of the class had joined them now. The class had three rows of stoves, each with a small counter and sink attached. There were a few preparation tables off to the side, and one main kitchen area for the teacher to show the students how to prepare a meal. There were no desks or chairs, so the students had to resort to standing or leaning on one of the many stoves.

Lloyd finally saw Gwen for the first time since the New Years party, and as she looked his way, he quickly ducked down, pretending to tie his shoe lace. He had the feeling she had waved to him, but he didn't feel ready to face her yet. He wasn't quite strong enough to shrug off a ton of _awkwardness._

Gwen stood by one of the stoves with Eve and Katie. Sacchun, Lloyd, Karen, and Mia stood at one across from them.

"So... _why _did you sneak in? You don't exactly have a reputation for _liking _school." Lloyd said in a low voice, in case of eavesdroppers.

"Because! It's the first day of school after winter break... I wanted to see all my friends again. Besides, my parents won't let me so much as touch the kitchen at home for some reason, and I've been itching to cook lately." she said, with an almost devilish grin.

Sacchun cringed. _As long as she doesn't make me taste test her cooking again..._ The thought still gave her nightmares sometimes. She decided to go talk with Gwen and avoid any chances of ending up in the hospital due to Karen's 'food', if that's what she liked to call it.

"Karen, sneaking into the school during a suspension is quite unacceptable..." Mia said with a tone of authority that _should _belong to her father.

"Aw, come on, Mia! Please don't rat me out! I'm just here for some harmless fun. I promise I won't do anything bad!" Karen pleaded.

Mia sighed and looked up with a smile. "If anyone asks, I know nothing of this."

"Awesome."

"So isn't our teacher your uncle?" Sacchun poked Gwen in the arm.

"Yep, my Uncle Doug. He spends a few days here teaching and usually takes care of the restaurant on the weekends or holidays." Gwen explained. "For the rest of the time, we have people who work there part-time. Including myself."

"I still say you should come work at _Moonlight _with me, Gwen! Ditch that dusty diner!"

"Despite your excellent allitteration, Doug's Place is really great. The pay is good, and I occasionally get to use the basements for parties and stuff..." she trailed off, thoughts of the party coming back. Gwen wasn't sure why, but ever since the party, she felt she had done _something _she would probably regret, she just wasn't sure _what. _The fact that she didn't know why she had such an uneasy feeling frightened her. _I know I did something... I just don't remember what it was I did._ Little did she know, the only other people who knew what _really _went on were right across from her.

Doug, or Mr. Starre, finally arrived at the class just in time for the bell to ring. He looked around at his class and welcomed them. His small, bushy red moustache wiggled as he talked, which made Mia giggle uncontrollably for some reason. Lloyd looked at her oddly, as if questioning her sanity, as she muffled her giggles with her hand.

"Now then... We are going to start simple today." he said, pulling out a small stack of photocopied papers. "Here are your recipes, by special request of our principal." Doug said the last word with a hint of disapproval as he handed out the papers. Before the papers made their way around the class, everyone already knew what the dish was going to be for today: waffles.

"Waffles, hm?" Karen scanned her sheet, frowning. "Sounds complicated."

"...It truly isn't that difficult to prepare, actually." Mia said, looking over each step of the recipe with a short nod.

"...But look at all these things we have to add! Melted chocolate and strawberries and... we have to _cut _the strawberries? What is this, slave labour?!" Karen looked appalled at all the work put into making a waffle.

"Hiiiii_ya!"_ Sacchun dashed by with a handful of knives.

"SASHA! Put those _down!!_" Doug was yelling, his small moustache moving up and down again. "Don't you _know _you're not supposed to run with knives?!!"

Sacchun swung around to face the red-haired teacher, and realised she had accidentally cut off a few strands of Katie's hair.

"What were you _thinking?!_" Doug walked over, attempting to snatch the knives away from her. She moved them out of his reach.

"Iunno. They were knives. Shiny knives. _Ninja _knives."

"If you can't be trusted with kitchen utensils, you won't be part of my class Ms. Yachiko!" Doug said threateningly.

"Don't worry Mr. Starre. I'm a _master _when it comes to the blade!" she gave him a wink. It didn't take long for Doug, like most other teachers, to realise that the best way to deal with Sacchun was to just agree with her, smile and nod, or just tune her out completely.

"Since you have the knives already, please hand them out." he instructed.

"Yes, sir! I will not fail you, _sensei!_" she dashed to the first stove.

"_DO NOT! _Run with knives!" he yelled after her. Sacchun went around to each pair of students and handed them some utensils for their dish. Since there were limited stoves, the students had to pair up. Lloyd was with Karen, Gwen with Eve, and Sacchun was with Carl, and Mia was with Katie. Karen insisted that she only wanted to be Lloyd's partner to '_keep him in check'_, once again referring to the what had happened at the New Years party.

"I don't want you running off to make out with Gwen." she said sternly.

"Why? What does _any _of this have to do with _you?_" he asked her through gritted teeth.

"Because I cannot..." Karen paused. "I won't let _her _suddenly become the center of your universe. She doesn't deserve it!"

"Right." Lloyd rolled his eyes.

"I mean, we don't want people to think she's more popular than _me _if they see you two kissing." Karen added.

"That's what this is all about? Some popularity contest?!" Lloyd asked, frustrated.

"No! ...Gwen and I are just natural rivals. I don't like the fact that you like her more than me!" Karen complained. They could hear Doug in the background, explaining how to prepare the toppings for the waffle. Neither of them were paying attention.

"I don't! I like you both equally! This whole rivalry is dumb." Lloyd told her.

"Fine. If you like us both _equally, _then why don't you kiss _me?" _

"What...? I... No! Just no! I _told _you, _Gwen _came on to _me _at the party! This was _completely _against my will!" Lloyd sounded flustered.

"Sure, sure." it was Karen's turn to roll her eyes.

"It's true!" Lloyd protested.

"Whatever!"

Doug was finishing with his explanation, and the students started to work.

"...Were you listening to any of that?" Karen asked sheepishly.

"...No. That _might _be a problem." Lloyd said with a small smile.

"Might." Karen agreed. Lloyd turned around to ask someone what the instructions were, when he saw Gwen walking towards them. Lloyd quickly turned away, pretending not to notice her walking straight over to them.

"Can't wait to see what kind of abomination you cook up." Gwen said, sneering.

"My cooking will make yours look like cow droppings." Karen boasted.

"Right, right, I bet it will." Gwen laughed mockingly. "Good luck with that."

"I think you just got yourself into a cooking competition." Karen said cockily.

Gwen hesitated for a moment. Karen had triggered something in her memory. Through a dense haze, she heard Karen's voice in her mind:

_"I think you just got yourself into a drinking competition, missy." Karen said, with a cat-like smile._

Gwen frowned. _Was this from the New Years party also? Dammit, how drunk was I? I can't remember anything! _she felt like an amnesiac. Suddenly brought back to the present, Gwen smiled confidently. "You're on."

---

Lloyd and Eve had very little to do, seeing as their partners were determined on cooking the best damn waffle known to existence. Karen still asked Lloyd for occasional help.

"Lloooyd When do I put in the jalapenos?"

"...You don't! We're making a breakfast waffle, Karen!" he said irritably.

"Calm down, calm down, people can get easily confused." Karen said, grabbing a small tin of vanilla ice cream to put on top of the waffle. She was mostly improvising, since she had missed the instructions and was not willing to admit that to Gwen - who was busy cooking up a storm of her own. Gwen's arms moved like lightning around the counter, preparing her waffle with the skills of a professional. This contest was already won.

"Go Karen, Go Karen, Go Gwen, Go Gwen!" Sacchun cheered. She pulled a megaphone out of nowhere and began chanting their names.

"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?!" Doug chased after her.

There were five minutes before the bell, and the two crazy cooks were in the final stages of preparing a waffle - they had elaborated so much on their waffles that they were beginning to look like miniature cakes. Sacchun was put in the corner, like a little kid, and amused herself by having deep conversations with the wall. Eve signaled the end of the competition, and Karen and Gwen pulled out their waffles.

Karen's waffle seemed to have... melted into a thick goo, and the chocolate had become a sticky crust covered with a melange of unpeeled pieces of bananas, the tops of strawberries, and some grapefruit skin. Lloyd could swear she had even snuck a jalapeno in there.

Gwen's, on the other hand, looked like a beautiful, symmetrical cake. The waffle was topped with a layer of vanilla ice cream, decorated on the edges with pieces of strawberry. She had spread the chocolate _over _the strawberries and even put a some decorative icing around it. Karen glared enviously at it.

"You know, appearance isn't everything!" Karen snarled, apparently concious of the fact that Gwen's piece of art made _Karen's _look like cow droppings.

"You're very right." Gwen grinned. "So I suggest we find someone to taste-test our dishes." she looked around for someone.

"I've got it." Karen said immediately, pulling Lloyd towards them.

"_Don't get me involved with this!_" Lloyd hissed at Karen between his teeth, making sure Gwen couldn't hear him.

"That's a great idea!" Gwen said cheerfully. Karen shoved Lloyd over to Gwen's sideand Lloyd found his face growing hot as he was face to face with her.

"Right... So... waffle. Taste. Yes..." Lloyd stumbled over his words. Karen looked murderous. Lloyd took a fork and cut a small triangular bite-sized piece and ate it slowly. The flavour was sensational, nothing short of one of Gwen's dishes.

"So...?" Gwen asked hopefully. Karen stared at Lloyd intently.

"It's great..." Lloyd said quickly, hoping Gwen wouldn't try to talk to him about the party. He quickly moved over to Karen's side, getting ready to taste her waffle. He was going to avoid Gwen for as long as he could. Gwen looked at him oddly.

"Okay, go ahead!" Karen said happily as Lloyd took a small piece. "Oh, come on, take a bigger piece! Don't be shy!" Karen patted him encouragingly on the back. Lloyd took a bigger piece unwillingly. He saw Gwen walk over so that she was beside Karen, as if waiting to see Lloyd's facial expression when he tasted it. Lloyd began blushing as Gwen came into his view.

_Damn... she's gorgeous. _he thought. _But I can't confront her yet. I'm not... ready._ he said to himself. Gwen took a step forward, eagerly waiting for Lloyd to take a bite. Lloyd felt like his face was going to melt Karen's gooey waffle even more and his insides were going to burst. _Why does she have to be so... gorgeous?_

Luckily for him, he felt himself fall to the ground lightly after tasting Karen's terrible cooking, and almost felt himself smiling as he felt arms around him carrying him to the infirmary.

_That was close._


	29. These Little Complications

**// Author's Note : **Wow, yes, okay, I know I'm late! But I'm on March break now so I can hopefully catch up. I'm so sorry everyone! I hope you like this chapter. It's longer than the last, but not as exciting. More of a set-up chapter of what's to come. And yes, it actually _did _take my class five months to read Romeo & Juliet. How fun. It seems like Lloyd is getting a bit more of a role in this story arc. We'll see how that goes! This chapter has quite a bit of foreshadowing, so be sure not to miss any details! **End Author's Note // **

Chapter 28: These Little Complications

Dia woke up to the mechanical sound of something tapping against plastic and beeping. It was the arm clock Kurt had bought her. She often cursed it and threatened to smash it, but she grew fond of it after a while. It was, after all, a present from Kurt. She felt like a spoiled princess. Kurt had been showering her with gifts. Stretching, Dia noticed something black in the corner of her eye. The stuffed black cat - another gift from Kurt - was lying next to her, on her pillow. Dia stared for a few minutes.

_That's odd. _she thought to herself. _... I could have swore I put that on my shelf before I went to bed last night. _she picked up the small cat. She walked to the kitchen, putting the cat back on her shelf on her way there. Glancing at her calendar, Dia realised that they were only a week away from Valentines Day. The thought made her blush. She never thought she would be in a relationship, not to mention one with someone as kind and intelligent as Kurt. She loved being around him, and she felt like a better person. She just loved to sit there and listen, as Kurt went on about school or work or anything. She loved hearing him talk, and he was the only person she wanted to talk to. Days with Kurt were brighter, happier days. Cutting and smoking had become things of the past - Dia was a new person. She had shed her skin and evolved into a butterfly that was so different from the Dia everyone knew, that she even surprised herself from time to time.

She toasted a waffle, and went around packing up her bag for the upcoming day of school. She stuffed her Romeo & Juliet book into her bag, and with it, an essay she was working on the night before, on the importance of the minor characters in the play. They had only one scene left to do. Scene 3 of Act 5... The last scene of the play. The longest and the most dramatic. The scene that made the story whole. Dia ate her waffle, threw on her coat and walked out the door with her bag over her shoulder.

Little did she know, something was up in her room while she was gone. A small stuffed black cat opened a sneaky eye and glanced around. Getting up, the toy cat leapt down from the shelf lightly.

"That was close..." he said, to no one in particular. "I have to be more careful, meow..." he glanced at her bed. He walked over to the kitchen and pounced onto the kitchen counter, examining the calendar that Dia was looking at earlier.

"What's sho interesting about this Valentimes Day? She sure looked pretty kooky... and the date is circled with a heart! What a _weird _girl... I've got to find out more about this thing, though. If I find out... I'm sure _she _will be very pleased. Yes, I have to remember my mission, meow." and with his tail in the air, the mysterious stuffed cat leapt down from the counter, and began looking for more information about this girl, Dia.

---

"Blah blah blah, blah _blah _blah blah BLAH! Blah, blah!" Manna yapped away. Or at least, that's what it sounded like to the class. Lloyd was staring out the window at Gotz, the caretaker, water the gardens, and Sacchun was scribbling furiously on a tiny piece of paper. Joe, on the other hand, was snoozing away happily on his desk.

Sacchun folded the paper into a tiny ninja star, and shot it at Joe's head. It was enough to get his attention. He looked up, suddenly alert, wondering if a teacher had poked him on the back. He looked around at Lloyd and then Sacchun, and Sacchun pointed to the small ninja-star shaped paper on the ground. Joe glanced to the front of the class, and after making sure Manna wasn't watching, he dove down to grab the paper.

It was unmistakably Sacchun's writing.

'_VALENTIIIIIIIIINES! What are u and ur cheerleadery friend going to be doing? Carl got a new job at the Moonlight Bar, this swanky new place. So he got us a reservation for dinner. What about you? Ps. BLAH BLAH BLAH -Manna.'_

Joe smiled at the fact that it was such a typical Sacchun message. He flipped it over and began writing. Manna continued to gab on, and Joe flung the message towards Sacchun's desk. It landed right by her feet. She picked it up quickly and read it.

'_Moonlight Bar is where Eve works! She's getting me 'n Katie reservations also. What a coincidence, LOL! I bet we won't be the only couple, though.That place is pretty HOT!'_

She was about to write back, when a crumpled up piece of paper hit her in the side of her head. She picked up that message and unraveled it.

'_You and Joe are sooo sneaky. You're lucky Manna doesn't notice... Anyway, I thought I'd join in. So what's up?'_

Sacchun began scribbling first on Joe's message, then on Lloyd's. She threw each of them to their respective sender and waited for a reply.

_'I'll try not to ruin your date, JoeJoe! And If ur gonna make out, please do so in the bathroom or something so I don't lose my appetite. Thx!' _

_'Just talking about Valentines. So, who's ur lucky lady, Lloydie? Hehe... I think I'm in love with the wall from Culinary class. We had some deep conversations, me and that wall. Real intelligent for a wall, I'm tellin' ya! We're soulmates!'_

Joe sent his back, not bothering to watch for Manna this time. Lloyd did the same.

_'Same goes for you! You and that fruity boy better keep your lips apart, or I might throw up.' _Sacchun looked up at Joe with a joking glare, and Joe stuck out his tongue.

_'Do NOT even want to think about it. I don't think Ellen and I are really going out anymore... we never even really talk to each other. It's kind of weird. About as weird as your crush on a wall.' _Lloyd's note read.Sacchun giggled and wrote back.

_'What about Gwen? U and her have been getting along ever since you helped her out with that biology assignment or whatever. Try asking her out!' _ Lloyd read. _Damn, is it really that obvious? _he thought hopelessly. He had given up trying to deny his feelings - he knew for certain now that he had a crush on her. He looked across the room at the blonde. She was twirling her pen absently in her fingers, staring at Manna with a glazed, non-attentive look. He heard an odd sound, and looked at Sacchun, who was making kissing sounds with her mouth. He glared at her and she stopped, but not without raising her eyebrows suggestively.

_Shut up! _he mouthed to her.

Sacchun went back to writing Joe's note.

_'You loser! He's more man than u could ever wish to be!' _she drew a face with a tongue sticking out and threw it back at Joe. Joe read the message and laughed openly. Manna's attention snapped to him and Sacchun sighed.

_It wasn't THAT funny! Thad idiot... _she thought to herself.

"What is so funny, Mr. Daggett? Do you find something amusing about my story?" she said sternly, hands on her hips.

"N-No, miss, I was just...er... clearing my throat. That's all!" he said innocently.

"Well, you will have plenty of time to _clear your throat _during detention. Today, lunch, right after next period." she snapped. Joe groaned. The others stopped passing notes, knowing that Manna was watching them more carefully now.

"Well, now that _that _story is out of the way, let's get to today's lesson!" Manna said finally, after almost a half hour of class had gone by. "Everyone take out your Romeo & Juliet books so we can begin. Dia, Kurt, Rick, Joe, and Dan, this scene will need you." she said. The people she named went to the front of the class to begin the scene.

Lloyd followed along with mild interest, occasionally glancing at Gwen all the way on the other side of the classroom. On his fifth or sixth time, however, his vision was obscured by the head of a girl with long dirty-blonde hair and blonde bangs. Her suspension was finally over as of the beginning of this week, and she was determined to keep Lloyd and Gwen away from each other. Lloyd wasn't sure why she was doing this, but he was semi-thankful for it. He didn't want to confront Gwen too soon.

She was glaring at him.

"Why are you sitting there?!" he whispered angrily to her. Manna did not seem to notice.

"To keep you from getting distracted. This is a _very _important scene." she lied.

"I ... I wasn't distracted...!" Lloyd whispered, flustered.

"Whatever you say." Karen scoffed.

"...and apprehend thee for a felon here." Dan read, as Paris.

"Wilt thou provoke me? Then have at thee, boy!" Kurt said valiantly, as the two began to fight furiously with plastic swords. Manna clapped enthusiastically as the scene progressed. Finally, Paris met his end. Dan took a seat, and Dia went on. The scene was almost over. Dia was lying down on a bench that was brought in for the presentation.

"Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide!" Kurt said dramatically as he held a small vial in his hand. Dia's eyes were closed, but she knew what was coming next - the kiss. Romeo was about to commit suicide - the vial in his hand contained poison. However, before he drank the poison...

"...The dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark! Here's to my love!" Kurt popped open the vial and drank the invisible liquid. "O true apothecary!" he closed his eyes in pain. "Thy drugs are quick... Thus, with a kiss... I die." he slowly bent down and kissed Dia softly on the lips. To the class, it seemed fake, but Dia felt it and knew it was real. Kurt fell dramatically on the floor beside Dia. Manna tried to contain her excitement.

"That was beautiful! Such emotion! Such power!" She whispered loudly. It was amazing how much better their performance was now. The scene continued, and Lloyd got his cue to come in.

"Alas, my liege, my wife is dead tonight; grief of my son's exile hath stopp'd her breath." Lloyd read monotonously. "What further woe conspires against mine age?"

"Come on, Lloyd, more feeling! More expression!" Manna urged.

"Look, and thou shalt see." Joe said, as Prince Escalus. He gestured to Kurt lying on the ground and Dia on the bench.

A lengthy dialogue began between Joe and himself, since he was playing most of the characters in this scene. Manna watched with a satisfied smirk as Joe plowed through all the text. "I can give thee more, for I will raise her statue in pure gold. That while Verona by that name is known, there shall no figure at such rate be set as that of true and faithful Juliet." Lloyd said.

"As rich shall Romeo's by his lady's lie, Poor sacrifices of our enmity!" Rick said in a deep voice.

Joe thrust his arm in the air, making a dramatic pose for the final line of the play. "A glooming peace this morning with it brings; the sun, for sorrow, will not show his head: Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things; Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished..." he said dramatically. "For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo." he concluded. The class burst into applause and Manna looked on the verge of tears.

"Oh, how beautiful! Truly, it is a timeless classic..." she let out a satisfied sigh and and put her book down.

Karen yawned. "You mean a _boring _classic..." she said in a low voice.

Kurt helped Dia up and they went back to their seats, smiling at each other. Dan got up and bowed for the class. They all laughed.

Lloyd went back to his seat. "I can't believe that took us like five months to finish."

"Blame that on Manna..." Karen said, stretching. Lloyd laughed. He took his seat next to her and Manna continued to praise all who had participated, leaving the rest of the class to do as they please. A minute passed... and another minute passed...

"So..." Lloyd said, trying to strike up a conversation. Karen turned to face him, her green eyes on him.

"What are your plans for Valentines Day?"

"What? Nothing." she shrugged.

Lloyd raised an eyebrow at her reply."Nothing? I thought Dan would be taking you somewhere..." He began to wonder if they had split up.

Karen didn't really look like she cared. "Dan goes around town on Valentines Day mackin' on every lady he can find. Some kind of silly tradition of his."

"So he just kind of... forgot about you?" Lloyd asked blankly.

"...I guess. It's not a big deal though. I'm going to spend my Valentines Day watching old romance movies and splurging on chocolate! You can't beat that!" she laughed with a wink.

Lloyd shrugged. "I guess... kind of a lousy way to spend Valentines Day, though."

Karen looked up. "Well then, Mr. Gentleman, why don't you take me out for Valentines Day?" she turned to him, her face looking amused and almost hopeful.

"Well..." Lloyd began to panic. This was completely unexpected! But he didn't have any plans, and he couldn't think of a good reason on the spot. He knew Karen, and he knew that once her mind was made up, it was not easy getting out of it.

"Um... Nah, I..." she mumbled and turned away, after Lloyd had remained silent for several seconds.

"No, I don't have any other plans, so I don't see why not..." he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Karen's eyes lit up.

"Great! This is awesome. We should go see a movie or something, does that sound okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds fine." Karen said excitedly.

"But Karen, _please _do me a favour and don't show up dru--" Lloyd was cut off by the bell, and he scrambled to pick up all of his books. He looked up, but saw only the tips of Karen's dirty blonde hair leaving the room; she had already left before he could finish his sentence.

---

Dia and Kurt left the school together at the end of the last period. They were smilling and laughing, talking about how glad they were that Romeo & Juliet was over.

"Your brother is really funny!" Dia said happily.

"Nah, he goofs off way too much." Kurt shrugged, smiling. "It's not that he's a dumb kid... he's pretty bright... he just doesn't take anything seriously!"

Dia smiled and looked out at some of the younger students shooting snowballs at each other. Her eyes looked glazed. "In a way, I kind of envy him. He's so carefree. It's like life is a big game for him."

Kurt shrugged again. "Maybe it is, to him. It's not much to envy, though, because it might be all fun and games now, but in just a few years..." he trailed off. Dia giggled and punched him playfully in the arm.

"Oh, stop it, you're making life seem so ... _serious!_" she said, taking Kurt by surprise.

"Isn't ... it?" he asked slowly.

"It doesn't always have to be... I think there are times to be serious, and times to be... well... Joe." she said simply.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." they turned at the gates. They were going to Callaway Café, just to warm up a bit with some Hot cocoa and the cheerful fire that crackled constantly at the café.

They did some window-shopping on their way to the café, and they even met Ann along the way. She and Nina were both sitting at the counter of a tool shop that Ann and her father ran every weekend, including Friday. Ann invited Nina over after school, and they were watching TV when Kurt and Dia walked by. They knocked on the window and waved to them, and it took a good six knocks before Nina looked up and pointed them out. They both waved and continued to watch together.

They met Mary shopping at an old-fashioned book store that was selling books at a very cheap price.

"They look pretty worn out..." Kurt commented, as Mary rummaged through a cardboard box filled with old novels.

"Well, yes, they are second-hand, but some of these you can't find anywhere else!" she said enthusiastically, as if she was going through a box of treasures.

"I always come here." she told them. "Price doesn't matter... a good book is a good book."

They said good-bye to her and left.

The couple continued to walk down the busy Azure Street, until the Callaway Café was in sight. Kurt continued to walk, until the corner of the street, where he whipped around to find that Dia was not standing beside him, like she was a few minutes ago. He quickly spotted her kneeling down and gazing in the window of an old-fashioned antique shop. Kurt joined her.

"Something caught your eye?" he asked, looking in. There were dolls and old toys on display, as well as a few jewelery boxes encrusted with tiny jewels. Dia's attention, however, was focused on something on the far left of the display. It was a tiny tea set, with cups barely the size of a salt shaker.

"It's so cute." Dia said with admiration. "I love tea."

"It looks pretty." Kurt agreed. The small teacups had faded pictures of cherubs holding up hearts while floating.

"How very appropriate, huh?" Dia asked softly. "Since Valentines Day is next week." she stood up straight again.

"Yep, that's true." Kurt said slowly, examining the tea set with great interest for someone who didn't care for tea at all.

"Which reminds me... do you... do _we _have any plans for Valentines Day?" she asked, feeling her face blush lightly. "I'd rather do something simple and romantic than extravagant and ridiculous."

"I know what you mean... I just want to spend some quality time together." Kurt agreed.

"We can always just stay at my place and watch movies and have a home made dinner?" Dia suggested. She liked helping Kurt cook and she loved cuddling with him on the couch. It would be enough for her.

"Then let's do that." Kurt smiled. They left the old antique shop and continued to Callaway Café. Kurt felt something lightly touch his shoulder, and looking to his side briefly, he found Dia lying on his shoulder, her arm looped with his.

"Erm..." he said slowly, wondering what the sudden display of affection was. Dia looked up at him.

"What? I'm cold!"

"That's fine, that's fine!" Kurt said quickly, holding her closer. Dia couldn't help but giggle. They entered the Callaway Café and took a seat by the fire. The café had the same friendly and warm atmosphere that it always had. They ordered their Hot Cocoas, and Katie brought it to them after a few minutes.

"Just call me if you need anything, 'kay?" Katie said. They thanked her and she dashed off back to the kitchen.

"Mm... You try it first." Dia said, blushing and looking down at her hot cocoa.

"You've never had it before? Or are you just trying to make sure it isn't poisoned?" Kurt joked.

"Well, if it is, then you're going to have to kill yourself too, y'know." Dia laughed.

"Of course, my dear Juliet, I shall die for you any day!"

"Oh Romeo, thy words warm me more than any concoction of chocolate can!"

They stared at each other for a few seconds, and burst out laughing.

"I've had enough Shakespeare to last me a while." Kurt laughed.

Dia nodded. "Same here!"

"But there were _some _parts of it that were fun." Kurt said, blushing a bit.

"Yes, yes, I know you enjoyed the kiss in the last scene." Dia poked him playfully.

"You mean you didn't?" Kurt stared.

"No, No, I did! I guess sometimes you just get a bit too into the play." Dia said.

"Well with you playing Juliet, who can blame me?" he winked.

"Jeez, cut it out!" Dia said suddenly. She started to laugh. "You're beginning to sound just like Dan!".

Kurt couldn't help but laugh at her comment.

---

Lloyd walked quickly to the Blue Sky Pet shop, clutching his navy blue jacket. Even though he had _no _idea what to tell Ellen, he needed more dog food, and was too cold to stop and think. He decided, after school, that he should talk to Ellen before the situation got any stickier. Between Karen, Gwen, and her, things were beginning to get complicated.

_Gwen. _He thought. _I deffinitely need to avoid Gwen. She is the last person that ..._

"Gwen." Lloyd said suddenly, opening the door of the Blue Sky pet shop to find himself face to face with the blonde. She was wearing a warm-looking sky blue coat, and fluffy ear muffs. Her nose was pink from the cold.

"Hey Lloyd!" she said, her breath showing in the cold winter air.

"I, uh... Yeah... So... you're getting more pet food. For John?" Lloyd blurted out awkwardly.

"Yeah... How is... er, snap, I can't I remember your dog's name..." she scratched her head sheepishly, trying to remember.

"Ringo." Lloyd reminded her. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Yeah! That's right!"

They stood there, the door open, for a few awkard minutes.

"So ... I'll just... get out of your way." Lloyd said, breaking the silence and moving against the door.

"Ah, thanks, so... are you... here to see Ellen?" Gwen asked, trying to keep her voice even.

Lloyd nodded. "... Yeah. Just to talk." he told her.

"She's not here, actually, I think today is her day off. Her cousin Blue is working." Gwen explained.

"Oh, Blue, yeah." Lloyd said absently.

"So what did you want to talk to Ellen about?" Gwen asked curiously.

"Nothing in particular." Lloyd mumbled. Gwen really wasn't who he wanted to talk to right now. He knew eventually the topic of Valentines Day would come up...

"You two have plans for Valentines Day?" Gwen asked, as if she was given a cue.

"Actually, no..." Lloyd said slowly, sensing his doom approaching.

"Oh, so you don't have plans either!" Gwen said, her face turning slightly redder.

"Well, that is..." Lloyd began.

Gwen laughed. "Actually, I usually just sit at home and watch old romantic films while pigging out on chocolate. Pretty pathetic, huh?"

Lloyd would have smiled to himself at the fact that Gwen and Karen had almost identical plans for Valentines Day, but his face seemed to be frozen.

"I-It's not _that _bad..."

"So since we're both out of luck, how about we spend some time together on Valentines Day? C'mon, it'll just be a harmless... date. I guess. Where do you want to go?" Gwen asked.

"Well, I ..."

"How about the movies? Does that work for you? I'm not in the mood for one of those fancy restaurant dates, if that's okay."

Lloyd nodded and gulped. He felt like his throat was trying to strangle him.

"That's fine and all, but..."

Gwen suddenly remembered the bag of dog food in her hand. "Oh, shoot, I have to go feed John. Anyway, I'll see you next week!" she waved as she ran off. Lloyd stared as she ran off.

The cold winter wind picked up around him as the whole situation began to dawn on him.

_Oh. Dear. Goddess. What the hell have I done?_


	30. Plans & Preparations

**// Author's Note: **Yay, a chapter a day right after the last one! Unfortunately this one is rather short, but it's just a kind of bridge that leads to the main part of the Valentines story arc. I made a mistake in the last chapter, saying that Ann and Mia were watching TV together, when I was like "...Right, they're fighting. Woops." So Mia has been changed to Nina. Just make sure you make that change in your head. Sorry about that! I was _extremely _tired last night and it's a miracle I even managed to finish the chapter. Anyway, this chapter doesn't include anything major, but here you go anyway! As I said last chapter, I'm on March break now, so hopefully the next chapter will be coming pretty soon! **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 29: Plans & Preparations

The Moonlight Bar & Restaurant was busy that day - not only was it their grand opening, it was also Valentines Day. The owner was Duke, a man who used to own a small winery in a distant rural village. He had moved here with his wife, Manna, and his dream of opening a fancy restaurant like this was finally coming true. The rest of the staff was made up of Eve, Carl, Dan and Bob. Along with numerous waiters, chefs, and janitors.

Duke was sitting on a table, his staff around him. He beamed at them. "Fellas, this is the big day. We're gonna rake in a _lot _of money today with my great Valentines Day tactic!" he said proudly.

Carl looked eagerly at his boss. "And we get those free reservations, right?"

"Sure!" Duke boomed with laughter. "If it'll get me more customers, then of course. Don't forget we have a bunch of Valentines Day specials. I can just see the money piling up now!" If this was a cartoon, Duke would have had dollar signs for pupils.

Manna joined them from the kitchen, holding a white bag. She walked over and gave her husband a light smack on the back of his head. "That's all you think about! Jeez!" she said irritably.

"Manna! Darling!" he gave her a huge hug and kissed her. The students turned away, not wanting to see one of their teachers making out.

"I brought the uniforms for your staff!" Manna said enthusiastically, once she was free from Duke's hug.

Eve tried to peek into the bag. "I hope they're sexy."

"I think you'll like them. They're very stylish." Manna said, sounding sure of herself. "It makes me so happy to see kids your age getting jobs and giving up your free time to help us out. You know, I have a daughter of my own, and as soon as she could, she just got up and walked out the front door, moving away! I barely hear from her! But you're all good kids, right? You respect your parents! I bet you're all going to get rich jobs when you're older and donate your money to your parents' retirement fund, right?" Manna rambled on.

"Manna... honey... your pep talk is great and all, but we need to get to work." Duke said in a low voice to his wife. Manna stared at him, frowning.

"Excuse me, Mr. Boss! Who died and made you king?! For your information, some of these kids are my _students, _and they _enjoy _my inspirational talks!" she turned sharply to them. They all nodded and agreed.

"Oh, uh, yes, Mrs. D'Amour has very interesting things to talk about, like that... uh..." Dan struggled to remember something Manna might have spoken about. Unfortunately, he never payed attention in her class. "...Like that time, that... house was on fire... or something." he vaguely remembered something along those lines.

"Oh yes, I didn't have time to finish that story, did I? So there I was, smoke everywhere, dashing inside to save..." she launched into the story. Duke groaned. They all sat lazily and listened to Manna talk for ten minutes straight, before realising she had to pick up some more decorations, and ran off.

"...Thanks for reminding her, Carl." Duke said gratefully. "Well, now that _that's _out of the way, we have some serious work to do!"

"We won't let you down, sir!" Bob said with enthusiasm. Duke gave him a hearty slap on the back.

"I'm glad I chose such eager beavers. Speaking of which..." his eyes scanned the employees in front of him. "...I thought there were supposed to be five of you from the school? Where's the fifth?" he looked around.

"Fifth? I don't recall there being a fifth, Uncle Duke." Eve said.

"I dunno." Bob said, scratching his head.

"No, no, there was. She gave in an application, I don't know why she wouldn't be here for opening day..." he said slowly, frustration starting to creep into his voice. "I think her name was..."

Before Duke could finish, the door swung open, allowing a flurry of snow and wind to enter. A girl walked in, wearing a large maroon coat with a hood. She kicked the snow off her boots and took them off, while closing the door. Removing her hood, they recognized familiar dirty blonde hair and blonde streaks.

"Ka-Karen?!" Eve yelped. Karen turned around, bewildered.

"Yeah, that was it!" Duke said. He turned to her. "You're late."

"I'm sorry Mr. Duke! I ... kind of overslept." Karen said, grinning sheepishly.

_Probably another hangover... _Eve thought to herself with an irritated sigh.

"Something the matter, Eve?" Karen asked, a hand on her hip. Eve glared at Karen, but she knew she couldn't complain or make a big deal out of this if she wanted to keep her job.

"Nothing, nothing." Eve said quickly. She was just thankful that Gwen wasn't here to see this.

Duke's smile broadened. "So you two know each other, huh? That'll make this even _more _fun!"

"I guess you could say that." Karen said flatly, hanging her coat up. She walked over to join the rest of her coworkers.

Dan winked and pulled Karen to his side. "Hey there, babe."

"Ugh, hey." she groaned, struggling to get free.

"Since we're working together, how about some free wine? Y'know, it won't hurt..." he said, a glint in his eyes.

"No, that's okay." Karen said sternly.

Dan looked unhappy. "You seem stressed... some wine will loosen you up _real good_, you know..." he grinned.

She freed herself and turned around to see Duke, looking not so happy. "I... uh... would prefer to remain professional. We don't have time for relationships and stuff during work." she said quickly, more to Duke than to Dan.

"Whatever you say." Dan raised an eyebrow. "It's Valentines Day, anyway. There are plenty of babes to get with."

"Ew, just ew. You've got a girlfriend, you pig." Eve snapped at him. Dan was about to retort, when Duke cleared his throat.

"That reminds me, Karen. You'll be working tonight, along with the rest of the staff."

"What?! But it's _Valentines Day! _I can't miss tonight!"

Dan looked at her oddly. "Why?... Do you have...plans?"

Karen just glared at him and turned back to Duke. "Pleeeease, Mr. Duke! I need tonight off!" she said urgently.

"No can do, young lady. You applied for this job, you got it, and you're going to be right here this evening at the grand opening." Duke said seriously.

"This... sucks." she groaned, cursing Duke in her mind.

"Why?" Bob asked.

"Because I have plans!" Karen snapped.

"...Oh. With who?" Bob asked with the air of a child. Karen felt frustrated.

"No one." she said irritably.

"You have plans with no one? That's pretty sad for Valentines Day." he snickered. Karen resisted the urge to punch him in the face. "It's no one you know." She said, in a voice of forced calm.

Duke clapped his hands together. "Well! We have quite a night coming up, guys, so let's get to work! We need this place to look perfect for all the young couples coming in!" he said excitedly. Carl nodded.

"A good first impression can do wonders." he said, with obvious experience.

Eve smirked at Karen's misfortune. Whatever plans she had, they had just been ruined... and then it hit her.

"WAIT. We have to work _tonight?!" _she said suddenly.

Karen rolled her eyes. "...Yes Eve, I believe he just finished saying that."

"Bu-But, can't I, y'know, take a break to enjoy a nice romantic dinner or something?" Eve asked Duke hopefully.

"Sure, if your boyfriend doesn't mind eating at the bar counter and you continue to serve everyone drinks." Duke said, his arms crossed.

Eve groaned. "This sucks!" She wanted her night with Ray to be special.

"Don't worry Eve, I'm sure you and I can have some _fun _in the _wine _cellar..." Dan flirted.

Eve shook her head and almost laughed. "There is no chance of that, buddy."

"Come on! This is _free _wine we're talking about!" Dan said happily.

"...Well, wine _does _seem appealing..." Karen said slowly. "Just not with you." she glared at Dan. Duke was beginning to wonder if these kids had only applied because of the wine.

"Aren't you all underage?" Duke asked. They all stared at him and muttered.

"Well, I guess..." Eve said slowly.

"...technically..." Karen muttered.

"Only... a couple more years..." Dan chucked nervously.

"There will be no drinking on the job. I hope that's clear." Duke said with a sigh.

"Aw, come on!" Karen moaned. "If I can't have some Valentines fun, at least let me have some wine!"

"...If I catch any of you drinking, you're all fired." Duke said to the three biggest drinkers at Flowerbud High. They all looked at him as if he was crazy. Suddenly the 'best job ever' was becoming absolute suckiness.

"...This sucks." Eve said again.

"...Now I want a drink even more." Karen groaned.

"...I won't be able to make it through one shift." Dan said, sounding defeated.

"Enough complaining! Chop, chop! We have lots of work to do!" Duke said loudly. "Now then, I have to make sure all the cooks are ready..." He walked into the restaurant's kitchen, smiling to himself. This job was going to be _fun._ _Ah, the joys of youth._ he thought with a smirk.


	31. Mistakes, Mysteries, and Meows

**// Author's Note: **Okay! Yes, you can all get your tomatoes prepared - I'm really, extremely sorry for being almost two months late for a Valentines Day chapter. (shields self from tomatoes being thrown) But anyway, here it is... finally. Over 7000 words, and I think my longest chapter yet. I know that's not much to make up for the long wait and wasted time, but I will try to update more regularly from here on out. My lame excuse is that... school has been a pain the butt, really, and It's very hard to write a school-oriented fanfic when you _can't stand _school. This chapter took the longest to write than any of my other ones - not because of its length, but just because I had no motivation to finish it. But it is done, and I am somewhat pleased with it... This chapter has quite a bit of foreshadowing to look for. I hope you all like it though! Once again, I'm really, really sorry. **End Author's Note // **

Chapter 30: Mistakes, Mysteries, and Meows

"...and now Kurt and Dia are dating, Sacchun and Joe each have their own relationships, Lloyd is too occupied with his own stuff, and I'm this forgotten little girl who's left alone on Valentines Day and worst of all, I probably deserve this." Meg groaned. She lay on her bed, reciting all her feelings and emotions that she's had bottled up lately. She felt like she was in a therapy session. Only, her therapist was quite peculiar.

"...And you think that if Dia was not in the picture, you'd be with Kurt?" the little therapist asked, sitting on Meg's bed-side table.

"Exactly! See, you understand!" Meg said happily. "I mean, okay, _maybe _I didn't act rationally with that whole _locking-her-in-a-small-room _thing, but seriously, she deserved it! What kind of wench goes around kissing other girls' dates at a ball?!"

"Didn't you say it was Kurt who kissed her?" he asked gently. Meg suddenly curled up with a smile on her face. She squeezed her pillow gleefully.

"Kurt's sooo nice, y'know. And handsome. He can be kind of serious at times, but really, he's a great guy... and that _wench _stole him from me! Grr!" Meg's mood suddenly went from glee to frustration.

"Well, that is all very interesting, meow." the little black cat said with great interest. "And it doesn't seem to bother you that you are talking to a cat, despite the fact that cat's can't normally talk?"

"...I'm pretty sure all this built up stress is just driving me insane and you might just be a figment of my imagination." Meg said slowly, turning her head to the cat.

"Well, that makes my job easier! Thanks, meow!" the cat meowed happily, and Meg immediately fell asleep. He leapt down from the bed side table.

"That is quite a bit of information... Hmm hmm! _She _will be quite happy, indeed!" he pushed the door open slowly with his head, glanced around, and scurried out the door, heading back for Dia's appartment.

Kurt was on his way to Dia's appartment at the same time. He was wearing some dark pants and a nice shirt - nothing too fancy, but something comfortable. He carried with him a bag holding Dia's present - of course, he didn't intend to give it to her just yet, and tucked underneath his other arm was one of his favourite movies - a horror flick named _'Night of the Living Doll'_.

The little black cat, who was scurrying against the wall, sensed Kurt's footsteps and turned around, seeing him approach. He immediately stopped in his tracks and became the limp stuffed doll they thought he was. Kurt kneeled down and picked him up by the tail.

_Ouch...! Hold in the pain, hold in the pain..._

"Hey, little fella." Kurt smiled, talking to what he thought was a stuffed cat. "Dia must have dropped you in the hallway. It's okay, I'll take you back."

_Eh, whatever, free ride! _

Kurt creeped into Dia's room and hurried into the kitchen. She was still getting ready in her room, it seemed. She didn't notice him enter. He opened the cupboard underneath one of her counters and stuffed the bag in with the pots and pans. He left the cat on the counter and went to knock on Dia's door. She came out, wearing a black skirt and a maroon blouse. In her hair were two magenta ribbons.

"Wow... I ... uh... I didn't think you'd really dress up much..." he blurted out awkwardly, feeling embarassed as he stood there in his clothes.

"Oh... It's not a big deal." Dia coughed. Kurt stared at her. "What is it?"  
"Are you wearing... eye make up?" He asked, looking closely at Dia's face.

Dia flicked him playfully in the forehead. "What of it? I always wear eye make up."

"I'm just not used to you wearing eye make up that isn't... black." he grinned. "It looks nice though."

"Thank you. You look very handsome yourself." she nodded.

"Then shall we get this movie thing started? I brought one of my favourites." he grinned. "It's pretty damn scary, so I won't really mind if you have to grab on to me..."

"Right, right, _I'll _be the judge of that." she teased, snatching the movie from him. She scanned the back. "Sounds like fun. Let's put it in!"

They walked over to the TV area and Kurt plopped down on the couch while Dia popped the DVD into her DVD Player. She turned the lights off and grabbed a blanket.

"What, no popcorn?" Kurt asked jokingly.

"As a matter of fact, I do have some that I was about to go make!" she said, heading over to the kitchen. Kurt got up and followed her, hoping she wouldn't look through the lower cupboards. She stopped in her tracks and stared at the counter.

"Wh-What is it?" Kurt asked from behind her.

"That ... cat." Dia moved aside to let Kurt in. "It's been appearing in odd places recently, even when I don't put it anywhere."

Kurt scratched his head. "Oh, I just found this outside in the hallway... I had assumed you dropped it, so I brought it back."

"I've never taken it out of this room." she said slowly.

"...It... It must have fallen into your bag or something."

"True, I do keep my bag by my shelf..." Dia thought about it for a while.

"Well, there you go. A perfectly logical explanation. How about that popcorn?" he asked. Dia nodded and grabbed a plastic-wrapped packet of microwave popcorn. She ripped off the plastic and stuck in the microwave. She kneeled down to get a popcorn bowl from one of the lower cupboards.

"Hey, uh, Dia, I'll take care of that, why don't you get some seasoning for the popcorn?" Kurt said quickly, diving down.

"Oh, sure..." she went off to look in her pantry. Kurt quickly grabbed the blue popcorn bowl and placed it on the counter. Dia came back with All Dressed seasoning. Kurt prepared the popcorn and they took the bowl with them back to the couch. The cat, on the counter, sat up.

_This is not good, meow, she's on to me. But I still need more information... and I simply can't resist! A live date, right in front of my eyes! I must see this... _he leapt down from the counter as quietly as possible and crept over to the TV room.

Dia and Kurt cuddled together with the blanket on top of them, occasionally throwing bits of popcorn at each other for fun. The movie's plot was starting to build up - a high school girl was on a field trip to an old city, and while her friends were spending their money on souvenirs, she wanted to buy something special. In a small cornershop, she had found a doll that was too expensive to buy - but when she left, she found the doll packed away neatly in her bag.

"This is supposed to be scary?" Dia snickered.

"Well we're not at the scary parts yet!" Kurt said while munching on popcorn.

"Trust me, I've seen _a lot _of horror movies. If you really expect me to grab on to you out of fear, this had better be a real thriller!"

"So you're a thriller fan?" Kurt asked with interest.

"Yes, and if you make a lame Michael Jackson reference, I'll be forced to hurt you." Dia smiled in a sarcastically sweet way that made Kurt laugh.

The plot progressed - slowly, at first, but picked up as more characters were introduced. The girl began to realise that she was having dreams that weren't hers, but the doll's, and before long, the doll's memories were invading her life.

"Hah! I saw you flinch." Kurt gloated.

Dia smiled without taking her eyes off the screen. "Yeah, yeah, keep dreaming." Kurt playfully threw a pillow at her. Dia reached into the popcorn bowl, only to find leftover kernels at the bottom.

"Hey, can you put this in the kitchen for me?" she asked Kurt. Kurt nodded and got up to put in the kitchen. He walked in and put it on the counter. _I have to give her the gift after the movie... _he reminded himself as he passed the cupboard where it was hidden. Something else caught his attention, however - the stuffed cat. It was no longer on the counter.

_Okay, now that is creepy. Where could it have gone? _he scanned the floor, thinking it might have fallen. It wasn't there. _There's a logical explanation..._ his mind repeated in his head. He dismissed the thought for now and went back to join Dia.

"This movie really isn't scary, Kurt." she said smugly as he joined her on the couch once again.

He made himself comfortable again. "Heh, this great part is coming up, don't worry." The girl was about to open the door to her bedroom closet, where she had stuffed the doll, and the doll was going to pop out, pale and scarred as a real human being.

"Here it comes..." Kurt said under his breath.

"Oh, this is so cliche. She's going to open the closet, and then wow, suddenly -- _"AAGH!" _Dia's sentence was interrupted with her own scream - but not because of the movie. Right as the girl had opened the door to her closet, there was a sound of a loud thud outside and the power inside the small appartment flickered. Dia was clutching Kurt's arm, more out of shock than of fear. Kurt, however, began to feel scared.

_...There's a logical explanation for all of this..._

--

"7 o' clock." Karen groaned with a defeated sigh. "I've got half an hour till the movie starts."

'"I'm sure whoever your date is will understand that you had to work today." Eve snapped. She was becoming annoyed with Karen's constant whining. They were both leaning against the counter, waiting for another customer to appear. The Moonlight Bar & Restaurant was bustling with people, young and old. Most of the customers were couples, filling the small two-person tables.

"Yeah, but he probably thinks I ended up doing something with another guy, like _Dan _or something..."

"Which would be completely unimaginable, it's not like you two are _going out _or anything." Eve said, irritation creeping into her usually mellow voice.

"You know Dan, he goes around getting as much chocolate as he can on Valentines Day -

both for eating and bragging about, but yeah." Karen said. _Everyone _knew it.

"...Which would explain why he's not here right now." Eve remarked, realising that she hadn't seen Dan for the past couple of hours.

"He snuck out earlier... Duke's too occupied with all the customers and the money and what-not that I don't think he noticed." Karen sighed.

Eve had a sudden idea. "Then why don't _you _sneak out also?" she asked enthusiastically, wanting to get rid of Karen.

"I guess I could... do you know where the key to the back door is, though?" Karen asked, her minds' gears turning.

Eve gave her a thumbs up and got to her feet. "Yeah, follow me."

"Okay!" Karen sprung to her feet and followed Eve into the backroom. The backroom was dimly lit and consisted mostly of shelves and crates of miscellaneous ingredients and supplies. There was a trapdoor leading down into the wine cellar and another door leading to the kitchen - but the door that lead out was _usually _blocked by a huge crate. Said crate, however, was currently knocked over, with the keys lying on top of it.

"Urgh... Dan was very careless, wasn't he?" Eve said, annoyed. Karen tried the doorknob, and the door was clearly unlocked. She picked up the keys and tossed them to Eve.

"Thanks anyway, Eve!"

"Have fun, I guess." Eve smiled fakely.

"Wait... Are you sure you won't go rat on me to Duke?" Karen crossed her arms and stared across the room at the blonde.

Eve waved her hands nervously. "No way! I know how important Valentines Day can be for a girl."

"Hmmm, well, okay. Thanks Eve! I guess you're not so bad." Karen waved, turning to leave.

"So - wait, who are you going with?" Eve asked before Karen could step out.

Some red crept into Karen's cheeks. "Oh... Um, Lloyd Crosswell."

Eve stared for a moment without saying anything. _Lloyd... Isn't Gwen going with...?_

"Anyway, bye Eve!" Karen called as she hastily checked her watch and stepped out the door. She returned a second later, grabbing a wine bottle off a shelf and then ran off. Eve returned to her position at the bar, her mind swirling.

_If Gwen said she was going with Lloyd... and so did Karen... then who's telling the truth? Is Lloyd going to ditch Gwen and go with Karen? Did they both agree to tag-team him or something? Is he trying to meet both of them in one night without the other knowing? _were just some of the questions that had Eve so muddled. There was only one way to get to the bottom of this. She pulled out her cell-phone and pressed the speed-dial for Gwen. A few rings and an automated message informed her that Gwen had her cell phone turned off.

_Damn... this is going to be bugging me all evening! _she thought, burying her face in her hands. Her thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice clearing his throat. Expecting to see another customer, Eve looked up to find Ray looking at her, looking bashful and adorable in the suit and bow-tie he had put himself in to. Eve couldn't help but laugh.

"_Ray! _Okay, you look adorable, but really!" she giggled. "The bow-tie is a bit much."

"Huh? Isn't this what guys usually wear on dates?" he asked cluelessly.

_Ah, Ray. Poor, clueless Ray. _Eve thought affectionately. "I'm sorry we had to spend our Valentines' Day like this." she said.

"It's okay, it'll still be fun. Plus..." he pulled a bouquet of flowers out from behind his back, along with a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Eve burst out laughing.

"Ray! You've overdone the cliche-ness tonight, seriously!" she laughed. Ray didn't seem to understand. "It's very sweet though, thank you." she said, getting to her feet and kissing the brunette on the cheek.

He blushed and took a seat at the bar. "So what kind of stuff do they serve here?"

Eve slid him a menu and took one for herself to look over. Once they had decided on a dish (A salmon steak for Ray and a light grilled chicken pasta dish for Eve), Eve took the menus and their order to the kitchen, since she was technically still working.

"Hey! I need one #14 and one #26." she told the chef closest to her. He scribbled it down on a small yellow post-it note and stuck it to the metal bar above his stove. Eve turned to leave when a voice made her stop in her tracks.

"EVE!" Duke shouted, walking over to her, clearly irritated.

"Uh- H_iiii _Uncle Duke!" she said sweetly.

Duke towered over her. "Do you know where your coworkers are? Specifically - Dan and Karen?!"

"Oh... No idea..." Eve lied. Then she paused to think - why was she even covering up for these losers? Dan was a low-life and a flirt, and Karen was... well, _Karen. _

"Don't give me that, Eve." Duke snapped.

Eve gave a fake sigh of defeat. "Ah, well, you can see right through me, uncle. They both snuck off - Karen took a bottle of wine, too - and... I... I tried to stop them! But they just won't listen!"

Duke immediately shrunk, feeling guilty for getting mad at Eve. "You're a good girl, Eve." he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "But those other two... on the Grand opening! They can kiss their jobs good-bye." He took off to the back-room to make sure everything was in order.

Eve smiled smugly. She walked back to the counter with Ray and gave him a real kiss.

"Wh-Why...?" Ray blurted out.

"Oh, no reason." Eve said, suddenly feeling quite happy. "It _is _Valentines' Day, after all."

Sacchun had arrived, and Carl, who was on break, had immediately gone over to get them a table. Sacchun wore a nice magenta top with black pants and shiny ninja-star earrings she had picked up over the Christmas break and wanted to wear. Carl took a seat with her.

"Happy Valentines' Day!" he exclaimed once he saw her.

"Fancy, fancy, fancy..." Sacchun mused, her eyes wandering all around the restaurant.

Carl nodded. "So what are you in the mood for, sugarplum?" He asked, addressing Sacchun by her sickeningly cute nickname that she had long since gotten used to.

"...Chicken fingers." she said, without even bothering to pick up the menu.

Carl smiled. "...Um, sugarplum, they don't have... Chicken fingers. This restaurant is slightly above that."

"What's so bad about chicken fingers?" she grumbled, opening up the menu and going down the list of food. "Ooh, I want this nacho & cheese plate."

"Sweetie, that's an appetizer. Surely you want something a bit more... filling?" Carl offered. Sacchun glared at him.

"I'm not hungry."

"Is... something the matter?" Carl asked with concern.

Sacchun stuck out her tongue. "Nah... I'm just not that hungry."

"It's not that just that. You sound bored." he extended his hand to hold hers.

"Somethin' is on my mind, that's it."

"Well, what is it? Do you want to talk about it?"

Sacchun shook her head. "Not particularly. But y'know... It's just kind of dull, sitting here and having a nice peaceful dinner like everyone else in this restaurant."

Carl looked confused. "What's... what's wrong with that?"

"I just wanted something exciting." Sacchun said, a glint appearing in her eye. Carl felt like his insides had been turned to stone.

"I'm sorry I'm not as exciting as you would've liked." Carl said quietly.

Sacchun put her hand on his shoulder. "It's not you, I'm just going through a little phase right now."

"Is it 'that-time-of-month'?" Carl asked in a nervous voice.

Sacchun giggled. "Something like that." The waiter was coming over to their table. "But let's forget about it for now, okay? I don't want to spoil this Valentines' Day dinner..." she said. Carl nodded and they ordered their dishes. Carl gave her a few worried glances but, in the end, he chalked it off to it just being Sacchun's 'time-of-the-month'.

Joe took off his coat and helped Katie's with her. He scanned the restaurant and felt a sudden swelling in his chest. He felt proud to be taking a beautiful and popular girl like Katie to a classy restaurant like this.

"Wow, this is _way _cooler than I expected!" Katie said in a soft voice, clearly stunned.

"Really? You thought I'd take you to some dump?" Joe laughed.

Katie shook her head. "No, no, it's not like that, but seriously, Joe! This is like, so sweet!" Joe kissed her on the cheek. They sat down at a table near the window, and looked through the menus. Katie, however, was busy looking over the whole restaurant.

"What is it?" Joe asked.

"Just wondering if people we know will be here..." she said, straining her neck to get a better view of the customers in the restaurant.

"See anyone we know?" Joe asked, without lifting his eyes from the menu.

Katie giggled. "Mr. Brassen is here..."

"Really? Ann's dad? With who? I thought he was married..." Joe seemed suddenly interested.

Katie squinted and almost snorted.

"What is it?" Joe asked.

"Sorry, I just thought his date looked like someone." she shrugged it off. "But that's impossible."

"Why, who'd you think it was?"

"I thought it was _NINA'S mom!" _Katie laughed. Joe looked over, and since he was a few inches taller than Katie, he was able to confirm Mr. Brassen's date.

"..Katie, that _is _Nina's mom." Joe deadpanned.

She stared incredulously. "So... my best friend's mom is dating your math teacher?! That's _sooo _weird!"

"I know, that's kind of weird. I always assumed they were both married." Joe remarked.

"Oh, look who else is here!" Katie said, looking to her right. "It's Carl and Sa--"

"JOE! Joe, buddy, thank the Goddess you're here..." interrupted the deep voice of none other than Ray

Joe turned around to face his friend. "Uh, Hey there, Ray... didn't expect to see you here..."

"I - I need your help!" Ray lowered his voice to a frantic whisper.

"Why? What's wrong?" Joe asked.

"Eve! She's getting all... touchy-feely and stuff like that... I think she's hitting on me!"

Joe rolled his eyes. "Well that's a huge surprise, isn't it? It's not like _she's your girlfriend _or anything, is it?" he asked sarcastically.

"...Well, yeah, but..." Ray mumbled nervously. Joe looked around to see Katie with her arms crossed. She tapped her foot impatiently.

"Um, Katie, I'm going to be right back... I have to help Ray, here, with something..." he patted Ray on the back and they both ran off to the empty corridor that lead to the bathrooms.

"Okay, so _what's the big deal?_" Joe asked once they were out of earshot.

Ray flailed his arms. "I have _no idea! _She's all kissing me and laughing when I don't say anything and... and it's all _weird!_"

"Okay, calm down. _Calm down._" Joe put his hands on Ray's shoulders. "Just go out there... and act cool. She obviously _wants _something." he said clearly and slowly.

"Well yes, but what...?"

"You know. _Something._" Joe repeated.

"But what is _something_?! Why can't these girls just _tell _us what they want!" Ray whined.

"...You know what a girl wants! They want..." Joe's face suddenly contorted in thought.

Ray blinked. "Yes...?"

"...What _do _girls want?" Joe asked.

"Bah! Bunch a' help _you've _been!" Ray groaned.

"Look, like I said... just play it cool... Show her you're a strong young man and a gentleman at that." Joe said.

"Okay. Then what?"

"Find out what she wants, then _give it to her!_" Joe said with an exasperated sigh. Ray nodded. He puffed up his chest and went off to rejoin Eve at the bar.

Katie sat in boredom, tapping her finger against her empty plate, waiting for Joe to return. When it became apparent that this would take a while, Katie rose from her seat and walked over to say 'Hi' to Carl and Sacchun. Carl seemed to be in the middle of a very animated story.

"...and then we _ran out _of _BLUEBERRIES! _Can you imagine? At a time like that?" he laughed. Sacchun laughed dryly. "So then, we were looking for the walnuts and in the end... we had to use _pecans_ instead! Crazy, huh?

"You certainly are a daredevil." Sacchun said with fake interest.

"Uh... Sorry to interrupt, just thought I'd say Hi." Katie said, waiting for a pause in Carl's interesting story to say something.

"Hi Katie." Sacchun said monotonously.

"You guys seem to be enjoying yourselves." Katie smiled.

"Where's Joe?" Sacchun asked, staring out the window, and not at Katie.

"He, ah, had something to attend to. He'll be back real quick though." Katie said quickly.

Sacchun nodded at the glass. Katie chuckled.

"So, uh, having another conversation with the wall?" she asked jokingly. Carl laughed.

"Yeah, the wall is a great companion." Sacchun said, sounding bored. Katie pretended not to notice.

"I think I'll go... er... sit down now..."

Ray, on the other hand, seemed to be crashing and burning, however.

"Eve... I want to give you... _something..._" he said slowly.

"Yes... Ray? What is it?" Eve asked, a glimmer in her eyes. Ray waited a few seconds, expecting Eve to answer her own question.

"Why yes... it is... _something _... that you like." he said, hoping Eve would give him a hint as to what she wanted.

"...You know... _something..._" he said, relaying Joe's advice in his mind.

"...Yes... you want to give me _something... _but what is it that you want to give me?" Eve said slowly with a wry smile.

_That's what I wanna know! _Ray said in his mind. He became frustrated. Joe's advice wasn't helping!

"I... have to go _get _that something, so just... sit tight, 'kay? I'll be... back." Ray nearly catapulted out of his seat and ran towards the corridor where Joe was still watching.

"It's not working! I still don't know what she wants!" Ray said desperately.

"Don't look at me! _I'm _not a girl." Joe said.

Ray thought for a bit. "You're better at this than I am, can't you just go ask her...?"

Joe rolled his eyes. "...Dude, that's a stupid idea."

"What about Katie then?"

"What _about _her?"

"What does she normally want when you go on dates?" Ray asked. Joe thought about it for a bit - every date he could remember with Katie, had ended in sloppy make-outs or something not too far from that. His face turned red from the thoughts.

"I think..." he started slowly. "That she wants a more... intimate relationship. You know, a more _physical _relationship."

"Physical...? Should I... teach her sports or something? Help her work out?" Ray scratched his head uncertainly. Joe sighed.

"No, no, no. Physical like.. fondling, cuddling, touching, that kinda physical stuff. I mean the most you two have done is just kiss 'n stuff, right? Maybe... try taking that to the n-next level."

Ray gulped. "O-Okay. I think I can do that." . He took a deep breath and as he puffed out his chest he walked back to where Eve was sitting.

"Hi. Eve." he said. As if suddenly remembering, he put a hand on her shoulder. Eve glanced at it uncertainly.

"Heey, Ray... So what was it that you wanted to give me?"

"Something..." he said, moving his hand lower. Eve gawked at him as his hand slid over her chest.

"...Ray... I'm trying my best to contain my anger right now... why is your hand on my chest?" Eve said, her eye twitching. She looked as if she was holding every muscle in her body back to restrain herself from strangling him. Joe slapped his hand to his forehead.

"...Shouldn't it be? Isn't this... what you want?" Ray asked, an eyebrow raised. Eve slapped him across the face with the fury of a thousand flames.

"I... I was just doing what Joe advised..." he sulked. Eve rose to her feet.

"Joe is here...?" she said, with the air of a bengal tiger finding out that lunch was cancelled. Upon seeing Eve get to her feet, Joe shot out of his hiding place behind the wall in terror and ran as fast as he could as Eve chased him with a frying pan she pulled out of no where.

---

The wind flowed around her as she stood in front of the movie theater, holding on one hand what looked like a card from a deck of playing cards. A Four of Hearts.

"This must be the place..." she whispered. The wind whipped around her. "Then... I'm sure he's in here."

---

Gwen was wearing a dark red top and a pair of hot pink pants. Her hair was tied in her trademark ponytail, with a small, subtle difference - she had tied it up with a white and red ribbon. Lloyd thought she looked gorgeous.

"Lloyd...? Lloyd!" Gwen's voice intruded into Lloyd's mind.

"Huh? Oh! Uh, sorry!" he said quickly.

Gwen laughed. "Were you checking me out?"

"Uh...N-No! I mean, well..." Lloyd stuttered, flustered. Gwen laughed again.

"It's okay, there's nothing to be ashamed about." she smiled and winked. Lloyd felt at ease at the sight of her smile.

"Anyway, I think I'll have some popcorn and a ... small box of chocolates for us to share. You know, since it is Valentines Day and all."

Lloyd nodded absently. He whipped around and looked all around the movie theatre, expecting Karen to come running up to him. Karen hadn't arrived yet, and Lloyd was praying that she had other plans or had forgotten. The prospect of Karen arriving while he was with Gwen was the only thing that was keeping him from enjoying this quality time alone with Gwen.

"Something wrong?" Gwen asked, pulling out her purse.

"No, It's nothing... You don't have to pay, you know." Lloyd said, reaching for his wallet.

"Don't be silly. Besides, _I _asked you out, right?"

"Yeah but..." Lloyd started.

"But what?"

"Well, I'd feel better if we at least split the cost... I don't want you to pay for _everything._" Lloyd said.

Gwen smiled. "If you insist, then, Lloyd!" She looped her arm with his and they walked off to the cinema. Lloyd looked at her arm and she looked up at him.

"What is it?"

"Ah, nothing..." he said quickly.

"We _are _on a date, right?" Gwen asked with a wry smile.

"Yes, sorry! I guess I'm not really used to it..." Lloyd smiled sheepishly.

Gwen looked at him. "Why? When was your last date?" Lloyd stopped in his tracks.

"Well..." Lloyd stared at the ground.

Gwen could tell immediately by his reaction. "You've never been on a date before, have you?" she poked his arm playfully.

"Er, no..." he said, sounding embarassed. Gwen squeezed his arm.

"It's okay, it's not a big deal. No reason to be embarassed. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that..." Gwen said. The only thing going through her head, however was _Oh my goddess! I'm his first date! Squee!_

Lloyd started walking again. "The movie's starting, so let's go!"

---

"EEEEEEEK!" Kurt screamed, grabbing Dia's arm. Dia laughed so hard she had to hold her sides.

"Wow, Kurt, I thought you had seen this movie?" she said, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I had, but that part always s-scares me..." he stuttered. Dia laughed harder.

"Oh please, there's nothing scary about this movie..." she poked his arm. He let go and clutched the blanket.

"I didn't realise you were so into horror movies."

"Well, I used to watch them a lot with my... big... brother... but..." she trailed off. Kurt looked at her quizically, and was about to ask her about it, but his favorite part of the movie was coming up.

"Watch this part, it's classic." he said enthusiastically. The girl in the movie was wandering through an old abandonned warehouse where they had manufactured the type of doll she had. The lights swung above her head and flickered constantly.

Behind them, sitting on the table against the wall opposite the TV and behind the sofa, sat the small cat, nibbling on a few pieces of dropped popcorn. "I don't see what humans find so interesting about this..." he said softly. He continued to watch the movie. It didn't seem scary to him at all. He didn't see what the whole fuss was about.

"It's coming up..." Kurt said slowly.

Dia punched him playfully. "It's no fun if you say that. It ruins the surprise."

Just then, the TV flickered.

"...That's supposed to happen, right?" Dia asked. Kurt wasn't sure - he didn't remember that happening before.

"Uh, maybe."

"Like that's any help!"

The movie continued on. "Here it comes..." Kurt said. The girl had just found a huge lever on the wall of the warehouse. She grasped it and pulled with all her strength, and just as she did, with a sudden loud noise, the entire appartment went black and the TV shut off.

Dia screamed and grabbed Kurt's arm. When she recovered, she looked up at him.

"That... That was part of the movie, right?" she asked sheepishly.

"...Deffinitely not." He got up and looked around. Looking out the window, he saw that other buildings near their's were pitch black inside. "Looks like there was a power surge in our section of the neighbourhood...So much for the movie, I guess." he sighed. Dia clutched the blanket and got up.

"So... Now what?"

"Let's find some candles, you do have some, right?"

"Yeah, I do..." Dia walked over to the kitchen and Kurt followed, hoping she wouldn't accidentally discover his gift while looking for the candles. The cat yawned.

_What's the big deal? _he thought. Being able to see in the dark, like a real cat, it didn't seem like a big deal for him. He leapt down gingerly and followed them into the kitchen.

Dia opened one of the cupboards and searched through it. "That's odd, I usually keep the candles in here for an emergency..."

"Are you sure we didn't move them while we were cleaning up?" Kurt asked.

"Maybe... Ack, where could they have gone?"

The cat tried to stealthily run between Dia's legs to find a safe spot under the sink, but tripped on a popcorn kernel and fell right into her ankle. She gasped and lifted her foot.

"What is it, Dia?" Kurt asked, sounding concerned.

Dia was straining her eyes to see the floor. "There's something there..."

---

"Oh wow, five bucks says that he's going to climb up to the window and see that she's changing." Gwen said, sounding amused. She and Lloyd were in the middle of a romantic comedy that, while amusing, was extremely typical and cliché.

"Or she'll be in bed with another guy..." Lloyd mused. Gwen laughed, earning her several '_Shh!'_s from the other people in the cinema.

"...Damn, we were both wrong. It was her grandpa changing." Gwen said quietly as the guy in the movie fell off the ladder after seeing an eighty year old in his under-garments. She giggled quietly.

"Are you having fun?" Lloyd asked. Gwen nodded, her ponytail bobbing with her head.

"Trust me, I am."

"I'm glad... After all, it is Valentines day..." Lloyd said sheepishly.

"You're right." Gwen said. "...Are you having fun?"

"Yeah." Lloyd replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Well, it _is _nice having someone to spend Valentines Day with, after all." he said honestly. Gwen smiled, then shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and after a few seconds of considering, she put her head on his shoulder. Lloyd felt surprised at first. He looked at her golden hair and blushed. He felt a lot more comfortable with her though - more than he had with Ellen.

"..._Grandpa! I told you to close the curtains when you're changing!"_

_"Eh? What's that? Oh, if it isn't my favorite wife!"_

_"You twit, I'm your grand-daughter!"_

_"...There's a difference?"_

Gwen giggled and Lloyd gave her an affectionate smile. The movie continued in this bliss. Lloyd felt like his stomach had suddenly become a mating ground for butterflies. He glanced around and felt uncomfortable seeing the numerous couples surrounding them. Many of them seemed to be making out... What if Gwen expected him to kiss her? _I'm not good at this kind of thing!_ Lloyd panicked. _What if she wants me to make the first move? I need to watch for hints... Crap, maybe she's been dropping hints this whole time and I've been completely oblivious! _

He felt the weight on his shoulder lighten and saw that Gwen had taken her head off his shoulder. Lloyd felt like the butterflies in his stomach suddenly turned to lead. _She must want me to kiss her. Now. _He thought. Before he could give his mind the chance to argue against this, he tried to move in for a kiss. _This can't be that hard... Joe's doing it all the time, and he's Joe... _Before he could get close enough for Gwen to turn around, the bliss of the date was rudely interrupted by a terrifyingly familiar voice.

"Sorry I'm late! There were... problems... at work." the voice said in a hurried whisper. Lloyd turned around and to his horror, he was face to face with Karen.

"Oh, Karen! Hey there..." Lloyd said in a very low whisper. Gwen looked up.

"Who? Wait, did you just say..."

Lloyd felt like evaporating on the spot, rather than deal with the fireworks that were about to follow.

"Lloyd, what _the_...G-G-Gwen?!" Karen gasped.

"You...I mean...KAREN!" Gwen nearly leapt out of her seat.

"_Shhhhh!_"

"What the _HELL _are _you_ doing here?!" they both shouted in each others' faces in unison.

"_Shhhhhh!_"

"Uh, guys, maybe we should settle down before..." Lloyd attempted to calm them down, but they seemed to have forgotten about him.

"Please tell me you two happened to be sitting together by _coincidence._" Karen said in a low, dangerous voice.

Gwen glared at her. "Lloyd and I were on a date! Who do you think you are, trying to sabotage it like that?!"

"Sabotage?! _Your _date? You were clearly trying to sabotage _my _date, knowing that I was going out with Lloyd. Let me guess, the minute you saw him alone in the lobby, you pounced on him like the cheap slu--"

"You?! _You _were going out with Lloyd? As if! He has better taste than that! And Lloyd and I have had this planned since --"

"Lloyd asked me out when we were -"

"- since we had seen each other at the Pet Shop and -"

"Ask him, we had set this up back in -"

" - You can even ask, He'll tell you the truth!"

"_SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

In unison, they both turned to Lloyd.

"Well?" Karen demanded, her voice sharper and more dangerous than a chainsaw wrapped in barbed wire.

"Lloyd, tell her the truth." Gwen said. Lloyd had no idea what to do.

"Maybe we should go out to the lobby..." he suggested again.

"Come on, just tell her already! Tell her that you were _my _date first." Karen stepped on his foot with fierce strength, as if to say '_or else.'_

"This shouldn't be that hard!" Gwen snapped. "Explain to this wench that you and I made plans first."

Lloyd gulped and looked up at Gwen. "To be honest, Gwen... Karen did ask me out first, in English class." he paused to look at Gwen's face. Her mouth was open slightly, and she wasn't sure what to say. Lloyd thought she was about to start crying, but Gwen wasn't that kind of girl.

"When you asked me... I didn't really have time to explain and... Well... Yeah. I'm really sorry about this. About everything." Lloyd hoped that would be enough.

"I didn't think you were this kind of guy." Gwen said gently. The gentleness in her voice stung Lloyd.

"Now go on, get out of here. Me and _my _date have a movie to enjoy." Karen glared at Gwen. Gwen looked at Lloyd. She _so _wanted to kiss him right there, but resisted.

"Happy Valentines Day." she whispered, before dashing out of the cinema. Lloyd felt the butterflies dissolve into nothing. He felt suddenly empty inside.

Karen put a hand on Lloyd's shoulder as he watched Gwen leave, her blonde ponytail bobbing with her head.

"Hey, uh, sorry about all that... I guess I tend to lose my temper when I'm around Gwen." Karen said softly, as if just realising that she had ruined Lloyd's date.

Lloyd sighed. "It's not a big deal. It's really my fault, for screwing everything up." _So this is how my first date is going to end, huh? _

Karen wasn't sure what to do. She was happy to be alone with Lloyd, but not if he was going to be as mopey as this. "I'm really sorry." she said again. As if suddenly remembering, she produced the bottle of wine from a plastic bag. "I brought some wine! Wanna sip?" she offered. Lloyd had half the mind to join her in a drink.

"Let's just... enjoy the rest of the movie, okay?" Lloyd said. He knew he should be out there, looking for Gwen, but he _did _technically promise this to Karen. She deserved that much - Her Valentines day shouldn't be ruined because of him. He had done enough damage.

_"Why d'we need her anyway? We've got enough crazy chicks here as it is..._

_"WHAT?!"_

_"You know, of course, that you are one of them."_

_"Uh, yeah. So are you."_

The rest of the movie passed in uncomfortable silence. Neither of them were that interested in it anymore. Karen was taking more and more frequent gulps of wine, which Lloyd was pretty sure was prohibited in a movie theater. The movie ended and Karen got up and stretched.

"Well... ready to go?" she asked uncertainly, as the credits rolled.

"I'm actually going to stay here for a while." Lloyd said, not looking at her. He stared at the various names scrolling up the screen.

"...Well, um... Happy Valentines Day, then, I guess." she leaned down and gave him a peck on the cheek and walked off slowly. Lloyd sat there until he was the last person in the cinema. Everyone left, laughing and talking about the movie. A few couples broke apart from their make-outs and looked surprised to see the movie was over. Lloyd sat there, alone with his thoughts and his guilt. He was certain that he wouldn't be able to get Gwen out of his head for a while. His cheek smelt like wine from Karen's kiss. He felt bad - he had ruined the night for both of them. The cinema was empty and the credits finally finished rolling. Lloyd stared at the empty screen. He sighed and enjoyed the silence as it fell around him.

Suddenly, his eyes shot towards the screen, which began to flicker. What was going on? He whipped around and looked at the projector room. Someone was in there - but who? He couldn't tell because of the bright light coming out of the projector. A small fanfare sounded and Lloyd turned his attention back to the screen again. In huge, fancy letters, were the words:

_Happy Valentines Day!_

The screen flickered again, and in an instant it was gone. He looked back at the room and saw someone rush out of it, but they were too fast for him to recognize them. _Maybe it was just some kind of special thing they had for today..._ he said, getting up and turning to leave. As if he had just stared in a bright light, he had the words "Happy Valentines Day!" etched into the inside of his eyelids.

---

"Did you find it?" Dia asked in a hurried whisper.

"The butterfly-catching net?" Kurt asked, holding it tightly in his hands.

"Yeah." they both moved through the kitchen in silence, waiting for it to move again. Due to the darkness, they had no idea what they were trying to catch, but they knew something was in their kitchen, and it was alive.

"It's probably just a rat or something." Kurt said in a low voice.

Dia sounded terrified. "_Just _a rat?!"

Kurt couldn't help but snicker. "So, the almighty Dia, who won't so much as flinch during a scary movie is scared of rats?"

"Shut _up!_ We need to catch... whatever it is."

"Okay, okay." they continued to move slowly, trying their best to see the floor beneath them. Dia's eyes had adjusted to the darkness by now, but it was still too hard to find something that kept moving.

The cat hid underneath the fridge, watching Dia and Kurt walking towards the counter. _Okay, meow, if I can run into that open cupboard, I can hide there and they won't find me..._

"Where is it?" Dia asked quietly.

"No idea." Kurt mumbled. "Maybe it left?"

"I don't see where it would have gone, unless..." Dia shuddered. "It went into my bedroom."

"It might have, let's try there." Kurt said. They turned towards the exit of the Kitchen, and the cat knew it was now or never. He squeezed out from underneath the fridge and dashed towards the open cupboard. Kurt's reflexes were fast, and he whipped around. He tried to take a step forward and his foot landed on the cat's front paw. Kurt slipped and fell to the ground, right in front of the cupboard. The cat panicked but tried not to meow in pain - he kept it in and ran over Kurt's back and into the cupboard.

"_Kurt! _Kurt, are you okay?!" Dia gasped and fell to her knees to help him up. Kurt grunted.

"I'm _fine, _but the ... thing, just ran into the ... cup...board..." he said slowly, realising his gift was in there. This wasn't how he had expected to give her the gift, but if he had to, he figured he might as well.

"Then hurry up! Let's close the doors and keep it trapped in there till the power comes back." Dia said, suddenly realising that they had completely forgotten about the candles.

Kurt slammed the cupboard door, confident that they had finally caught the damn thing.

"Now what?" Dia asked, with a sigh of relief.

"We wait, I guess. Boy, what a Valentines' Day this has turned out to be." Kurt laughed.

Dia smiled. "Yes... for my first Valentines' Day with someone else... It has turned out to be rather interesting." she said quietly. Kurt stared at her. He hadn't considered that this would be Dia's first Valentines' Day... not alone. He wanted to make it special.

"Yeah... But you won't be alone anymore, Dia, you have me, y'know." Kurt assured her.

"That's a great feeling... just knowing that you have someone to be there for you." Dia said softly. Her voice sounded pure and genuine.

"Dia..." Kurt moved towards her and held her in his arms. He felt warm liquid on his shirt as she buried her face into his chest and realised she was crying.

"Tears...?"

"Happy tears, don't worry." Dia said with a small laugh. Kurt held her and they both slumped against the refrigerator together. Dia draped the blanket around them and they both lay against the refrigerator in silence, waiting for the power to return. Dia fell asleep on Kurt's shoulder, and just as Kurt was dozing off, he heard a sudden crash and a shatter of china. Dia's eyes opened.

"What... what was that?"

Kurt was staring at the cupboard where his gift was, and where the crash had come from. He got up, Dia with him, and walked over to it cautiously, hoping that the gift was okay. The door of the cupboard creeped open by itself, which seemed to creep them both out.

Before they could get a good look at what was in the cupboard, they were blinded by a huge flash of light - the power was back. Kurt closed his eyes and rubbed them, letting them adjust to the sudden change. When Kurt opened his eyes again, he saw Dia, her eyes wide, pointing to the ground right outside the cupboard door.

Kurt stared down at the cupboard. Lying in a pile of shattered ceramic glass that was part of the antique tea set Kurt had bought Dia, was the small, supposedly stuffed, black cat. The cat looked up at them innocently, and with a small smile, his lips opened magically and he said, "...Um... Happy Valemtimes Day, meow...?"


	32. Do you take us for Fools?

**// Author's Note : **Hooray for somewhat more regular updates. This chapter is _kind of _a filler, but the important aspects of it _are _indeed important to the story. Also included in this chapter is some April Fools fun! I hope you like it, it turned out to be quite a bit longer than I thought it would... (though not nearly as long as the last one). There are quite a few interesting things I have lined up for Harvest High! in the next few chapters, so hopefully it'll keep you interested. Thanks for all the great reviews, and enjoy this chapter! **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 31: Do you take us for Fools?

Kurt lifted the small cat by the head and plopped him on the counter. He didn't try to keep in the pain and yelped. Kurt backed away slightly.

"Who... _What _are you?!" he stared at the toy.

"_Meow! _Like I'd tell you." the cat snarled back.

Dia's eyes were still wide as she pointed to the cat. "It... spoke! That toy can talk! ... and move!" she couldn't believe it.

The cat sighed. "How unfortunate, to be caught, meow..."

Kurt jabbed the cat in the stomach with his finger lightly. "Answer our questions! _What the heck are you?!"_

The cat fell over and glared at Kurt. "Hmph. I suppose I can, since your memories will just be erased afterwards, anyway..." he muttered.

"What was that?" Dia asked

The cat got to his feet. "Nothing. Anyway, I really _am _just a toy."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Toys don't _normally_ walk and talk."

"I'm a toy enchanted by magic." he said, knowing his emphasis on the word _magic _would leave an interesting reaction. Dia stared and Kurt glared.

"Do you take us for fools?! Magic doesn't exist!" Kurt argued.

"Not anymore, obviously. But artifacts of the past still live on. If someone believes in the magic within them, then they can deffinitely be used." he explained. Kurt and Dia gawked at him - it just seemed impossible to them that magic could exist. Unfortunately, they couldn't think of any other explanation as to why this little toy was able to walk around and speak. Kurt picked up the cat and began examining him at all angles.

"H-Hey! What do you think you're doing? Put me down!" he yelped.

"Nuh-uh. You must be a robot thing... I bet you have a microphone in here somewhere..." Kurt used his fingers to open the cat's small mouth.

"'Ere's no 'icro'hone, 'eow!" The cat said with difficulty, before biting down hard on Kurt's finger.

Kurt jumped back and exclaimed in pain. "_AGH!_"

Dia clutched the blanket around her. "This must be a very odd dream, I'm having."

"It's no dream, lady." the cat assured her.

"Well... if you are a toy enchanted by magic, as you say... _who _enchanted you?" Dia asked faintly.

"...I'm not supposed to tell you who she is, but since your memory is going to be erased anyway, then I guess I can tell you, meow. It was --"

"WHAT?! You're erasing our memories?!" Kurt exclaimed. Dia advanced.

"You can't do that!"

"Ugh... It's necessary. You're not supposed to know about me."

"Why are you here anyway?!" Kurt demanded.

The cat began to lick his paws. "You don't remember? You bought me while you were visiting Azure Street."

Kurt tried to remember. He was in a small gift shop, looking at stuffed animals to buy. The shop had many gifts for couples, and Kurt wasn't sure what to buy. They had different necklaces, brooches, vases, little toys, decorations, plants - many different kinds of gifts. It wasn't the kind of store that would ever strike you as suspicious or mysterious.

"Can I help you with anything?" asked the sing-song voice of the owner. She had lovely pink hair, each side tied into a small braid with some golden flowers that looked very real. She was tall, and had such fair skin, it was almost glowing. If there was a girl that could make Kurt blush - and there weren't many - it was her.

"I'm just browsing..."

"For a gift?" she asked, leaning on the counter, looking amused. She seemed to be about a year or two older than him.

"Yeah." Kurt replied.

She giggled. "Is it for a girl?"

"...Yeah."

"Someone _special_?" she emphasized the word 'special'. Kurt nodded again. Her voice was so honey-coated, Kurt had the feeling she might have just been teasing him.

"Like, a girlfriend?" she asked. Kurt started to feel irritated.

"Yes, like a girlfriend." he said impatiently, feeling red in the face.

"Hmmm" she said in a sing-song voice. "Maybe I could help you?"

"No thanks, I'll be fine..."

"What kind of a shopkeeper would I be if I didn't help my customers?" she asked with a wink. She walked over to Kurt and took his hand - it wasn't forcefully, but Kurt could feel that she was extremely strong as she steered him through the store. She gripped his arm with titan-like strength, though to her, it seemed perfectly normal. Kurt struggled to get free.

"I'll - I'll be fine, miss...!"

"See anything you like yet?" she asked pleasantly, as she took him in circles around the merchandise. Kurt grabbed onto whatever was in front of him - a small, stuffed black cat.

"Oh! Good choice!" she said happily, letting go of Kurt's arm.

"Ah, yeah..."

"I'm sure your girlfriend will like this gift a lot. Speaking of which, is that her, right over there?" the girl pointed over Kurt's head to the door. Kurt swung around and while he wasn't looking, the shopkeeper quietly ripped off the Stuffed animal's tag. With a small and silent snap, the tag came free, and she pocketed it.

"Huh? There was no one there." Kurt said uncertainly.

The girl let out a silvery laugh. "I'm sorry, I must have been imagining things! Anyway, let's go get this toy -- Oooh! Looks like the tag's missing... I'll be right back, let me just go into the back room to get the price for this thing." she said, walking off before Kurt could reply. He was starting to think she was slightly crazy. He waited by the counter until she returned, telling him it was around fifteen dollars. He payed for it and she wrapped it in a white plastic bag that had two hearts on it - a pink one and a red one. He thanked her and left the shop.

"...So? Are you saying that girl in the shop enchanted you?" Kurt asked the cat. He simply shook his head.

"That's information I am not allowed to give, meow."

"Where was the store, Kurt?" Dia asked sharply. "Let's take him back, first thing in the morning."

The cat waved his tiny paws frantically. "You can't, you can't!

Dia crossed her arms. "What's stopping us?"

"Nothing... Well, except me. I'll just have to erase your memories as soon as possible. Now hold still, this will just take a second."

"NO!" Dia and Kurt yelled in unison.

"Seems I've touched a nerve, meow?" The cat asked mischievously.

Kurt inhaled. "I'm sure there's a compromise we can make."

"If you let me stay here, meow," he said, pausing to think. "I won't erase your memory."

Dia stared blankly. "You want to stay here. You, this... talking cat that is supposedly enchanted with ... m-_magic. _You want to stay. Here?" she looked slightly sick.

He nodded. "That is correct, meow. I promise I'll pretend to be a stuffed toy whenever you have visitors..."

"I don't know Kurt..." Dia said, turning to her boyfriend.

Kurt shook his head. "It doesn't look like we have much choice, does it?"

"Maybe he's just bluffing... I bet he can't erase our memories!" Dia said with a faint laugh. Kurt shook his head again.

"If he's walking and talking, I'm willing to believe magic exists. If he says he can erase our memories, I'd rather compromise with him than take that risk."

Dia stared at Kurt, then at the cat. "...Well, can we at least know your _name_? If you have one?"

The cat got to his feet and spun around a few times.

"...What are you doing?" Kurt asked.

"I though I had a tag, meow, that said my name..."

Dia started to calm down. "Does that mean we get to name you...?"

"Er... meow..." he didn't look too keen on the idea.

"I don't see why not. You don't have a name." Dia pressed. The cat looked away.

"I don't know. It doesn't feel right being _given _a name."

Kurt paused to think. "Why don't you give yourself a name, then?"

The feline thought about it, and finally said, "I suppose I could do that, meow." They allowed him to think for a while. Kurt leaned against the counter and Dia stood as still as a statue. After a few minutes, however, they were getting impatient.

"Well?" Kurt asked.

"I'm thinking, meow!" he growled. Kurt heaved a great sigh and glanced at Dia. Still, she stood as if she had suddenly been petrified. Ten minutes passed in silence.

"...Well?" Kurt pressed.

"It's not that easy, choosing a name for yourself, y'know! Well, you _don't _know, since you had _parents _to do it for you!" the small creature stuck out his tongue. Kurt sighed again.

"How does Jillian sound?" the cat asked. Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Jillian? You mean the girl from the movie?"

"Yes, meow!" the cat said contently.

"...Well, that's a good name and all, but it's a girl's name. I'm pretty sure... you're a guy." the brunette said, though having no way to confirm this.

"Look, I think we should just give you a name. I'd rather not be waiting till the next century for you to decide." Kurt said, putting an arm around Dia, who nodded slowly. Dia looked gently down at the cat.

"So, does that make you two my parents?" he asked uncertainly. Dia let out a small chuckle.

"Er... Not exactly." she said hoarsely. She was having a harder time swallowing this sudden discovery.

"Then... what about Jinx?" Kurt suggested. Dia nodded again.

"I like it."

"Jinx...?" he looked up at Kurt. Kurt nodded.

"Jinx."

"Well, It's not quite as good as Jillian, but sure, Jinx will do, meow." the cat said happily.

Dia finally spoke up. "Why do you want to stay here, anyway?"

"Because..." he spoke softly, "I don't really have anywhere else to go."

"You can go back to whoever enchanted you." Kurt suggested. Jinx simply shook his head.

"It's not that simple... maybe someday, I will return to her, but I don't even know where she is and have very faint memories of what she lookes like, meow." he lied. _I can't go back until I have enough information, anyway. _

"Well, if it's okay with Dia, then you can stay." Kurt nodded. Dia looked apprehensive. "He's like a pet... only one that you won't have to feed or clean. Plus you won't actually have to clean a litter." he pointed out for her. Dia nodded.

"Plus I _am _good company, meow!" Jinx said sweetly. Finally, Dia agreed.

"Well, then... er..." she said softly. "Nice to meet you, Jinx."

---

March had gone by extraordinarily fast for all of them, pushing away the cold and windy days of winter and pulling in the wet, rainy days of early spring. March had been an easygoing month for all of them, giving them a rare chance to relax a bit when it came to schoolwork. Lloyd wasn't exactly being avoided by Gwen or Karen, but they both came up with silly excuses whenever he tried to talk to them. Sacchun was feeling gloomier and gloomier for reasons she kept to herself, and had this been a cartoon, she would be walking around with a grey cloud over her head. Joe and Katie continued their regular make-outs and dates, and nothing new interrupted their lifestyle - except Katie began the auditions for new cheerleaders. Meg didn't speak much to the others, and spent a lot of time muttering to herself or rubbing her eyes. She seemed to be losing sleep and gaining stress over small things. Though they were concerned, her friends weren't exactly sure what they could do for her. Kurt and Dia had to learn to live with a talking cat. Dia had finally accepted Jinx, and they had become rather close. Still, however, his secret was safe from the rest of the students. Ann was still dying for Mia to talk to her, but Mia seemed busy all of a sudden for reasons they did not know about. Eve and Ray were back together again, though Eve had not completely forgiven him for the restaurant incident. Dan and Karen had, needless to say, lost their jobs at The Moonlight Bar & Restaurant - which, incidentally, was very successful. One thing that was beginning to become apparent to many of the students, was that Mr. Brassen and Liz, Nina and Popuri's mom, had gotten very close. Pink hair wasn't the most common thing in Flowerbud, and so when a young woman with pink hair appeared and seemed to be meeting the math teacher very often, people began to notice it.

"Meghan! Wake yerself up this instant!" barked Mr. Barette at the blonde. Her hair was a mess and she was asleep, snoring loudly, on her desk, in the middle of History class.

"Need... more... coffee..." she snored loudly. Everyone snickered.

"_NO LAUGHIN'! D'YA HEAR ME?!" _he shouted, his little moustache flying everywhere as he did so. Everyone quited immediately. Though it _was _April Fool's day, no one dared to pull a prank or tell a joke in Mr. Barette's class - he was infamous for being one of the strictest teachers in Flowerbud High history. Still, miraculously, Meg continued to sleep. Joe restrained himself from pulling a number of pranks on the sleeping girl.

Sacchun, who rarely listened in class anyway, seemed to be tuning everything and everyone out. She stared out the window, her eyes glazed over and lacking the twinkle that was often present. Gwen was at the front of the class, rapidly taking notes, though Lloyd knew that she wasn't really interested in the notes - she just wanted to avoid any awkward confrontations with him.

_She can't keep running forever... _Lloyd thought miserably. It had been over a month since they had last had a proper conversation.

Terry went back to the huge world map to continue the lesson, when he was interrupted by a knock on the door. Michael Brassen stood there.

"What d'ya want, Michael?!" Mr. Barette asked rather rudely. He was a surviving war veteran, and felt he was superior to everyone else, even his colleagues. No one bothered challenging his supereority, however. Mr. Brassen quickly walked over to Mr. Barette.

"Actually, Terry," the math teacher said in a very low voice, "I was wondering if you had seen my car keys, I'm taking my lunch break now and, ah..." he trailed off. Mr. Barette did not seem to care about the volume of his voice.

"Dammit, Michael, can't ya keep track of yer damn things?!" he half-yelled, frowning.

"Sorry, sorry..." Mr. Brassen appologized.

"Who're you takin', anyway?" the older man asked bluntly.

Mr. Brassen looked at the class with a rather embarassed expression on his face. He spoke even lower than before.

"_SPEAK UP, SOLDIER!_" Mr. Barette spat.

Timidly, he said, "Just, a friend."

"A Ladyfriend, eh? Well, I haven't seen yer damn keys, so get outta here, I'm tryin' ta teach a class!" Mr. Barette snarled.

"Ooh, honey, I found them!" called a female voice from the doorway. A woman with shoulder-length pink hair and a yellow hairband stood there, waving around a pair of silver keys.

Mr. Brassen chuckled nervously, not expecting his 'ladyfriend' to make a public appearance. The entire class's eyes had shifted to her.

"Where did you find them, ah... honey...?" he asked bashfully.

She smiled broadly. "Seems they got into my purse, somehow! Anyway, let's go, that food isn't going to come to us!"

"Yes... let's go..." he said, appologizing once more to Mr. Barette before leaving quickly. The whole class had a difficult time subduing their laughter.

"Bunch a' irresponsible teachers I work with, I tell ya, they wouldn't last one minute in the war..." Mr. Barette grumbled. His attention snapped back to the class. "_WHAT'D I JUST TELL YEH? NO LAUGHIN'!!!"_

---

"Meggg... Meggg..." Joe poked Meg as she sat at their lunch table, her head in her hands, asleep. "Come on, sleeping beauty, rise and shine! It's lunch time!" he continued to poke her. She just grumbled and flicked his hand away.

"She really needs to get more sleep." Lloyd remarked, looking at this sleep-deprived friend.

"I know how to get her to wake up..." Joe said mischievously. He had been pulling tricks and pranks all day, getting in the full spirit of April Fools. Some of his more remarkable tricks included filling Ray's soccer ball with mysterious purple ooze that splattered out onto his face when he gave it an exceptionally hard kick, filling the insides of Katie's and Nina's pom-poms with super glue so their hands would get stuck, and some of his best acting yet - pretending to be a good, kind, helpful, attentive, cooperative boy in english class. Manna was so creeped out by the end of the class, she nearly went crazy trying to find out what had happened to the usually troublesome child. Each of these tricks had ended with a joyful "April Fools!" shouted from Joe himself.

"Hey Meeeg" he called into her ear. "Kurt and Dia are _doin' it _on the lunch table and people are taking pictures with their cameras."

"WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Meg shrieked, getting to her feet immediately, her eyes looking extremely bloodshot. She spun around wildly, as her fellow students stared at her, looking alarmed. Meg looked everywhere, expecting to see a nude Kurt on top of a nude Dia, but they weren't even in the lunch dome. She turned around to see Joe howling with laughter and Lloyd staring at the ground, obviously snickering. She lunged for Joe and began strangling him.

"ACK! Gaaah! A...pril... Fool's...!" Joe managed to say, his voice extremely strained as Meg continued to strangle him.

"YOU! ARE! EVIL!" she yelled. "SAYING! STUFF! ABOUT! KURT! AND DIA! LIKE THAT!"

"What's... this about me and Dia?" Kurt asked, having just entered the lunch dome with Dia. He cocked an eyebrow, watching Meg strangle Joe.

"It's best if you didn't know..." Lloyd said gently, trying not to laugh.

"Ooookay..."

"Oh! Kurt!" Meg said happily, letting go of Joe (much to his relief). She began straightening up her hair with her hands, until she noticed who was beside him. "And, ah, hello Dia..." she added sourly.

"Hi there..." Dia said monotonously. She wasn't sure how to feel towards Meg these days. One one level, she felt sorry for her. On another level, she felt guilty for taking Kurt away from her. And on yet another level, she felt slight pleasure at seeing the wreck she had become.

"How did you ever grow up with _this _moron?!" Meg asked Kurt, smacking Joe on the head.

"You learn to live with him, eventually..." Kurt said with an amused smile. He took a seat and Dia sat next to him.

"Hey Dia." Lloyd greeted.

"Hi Lloyd. Hi, Sacchun." Dia greeted. Lloyd suddenly felt surprised - he hadn't even remembered that Sacchun was sitting right next to him. Her presence wasn't as... _present _as usual.

"Mm." she mumbled. She hadn't even reacted to Joe's joke, something that bothered him immensely, but he tried not to show it.

"Hey Sacchun..." he said, scooting in next to her. "Karen's seduced Carl and they just ran out of the janitor's closet with Carl's pants half down!"

"...Do you take me for a fool?...Karen's doing a biology test and Carl was wearing shorts today." Sacchun said in a low voice.

"Ahaha...ha... April... Fools." Joe said feebly.

"Mm, yeah." she said indifferently. Joe felt slightly hurt - April Fools day was a tradition for him and Sacchun. Almost every year they had gone around causing mischief together. It didn't seem to be that way this time.

"Hey guys, room for one more?" asked Ann, who had just walked over to them with a tray of food.

"Sure, Hey, Ann!" Lloyd greeted, moving over enough for her to sit in. The red-head smiled and took a seat. "Any development between you and Mia?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Though he had asked several times throughout the month, there didn't seem to be any positive progress between the two friends.

"Oh yes, she came out of the closet today and we totally became lesbians together and have a hot date planned for tonight at this sleazy motel downtown." Ann said pleasantly, forking a sausage on her plate. Lloyd stared.

"What's this about lesbians and sleazy motels?" Joe chirped in. Meg whacked him lightly on the back of his head.

"Pervert!" she growled.

"April Fools! Lloyd, you don't have to look so shocked!" Ann laughed loudly.

Lloyd sighed. "But seriously..."

"Nah, no progress..." she said, with a small sigh.

"Speaking of which," Joe said with a sing-song voice. "What's the gossip between your dad and Nina's mom?"

Ann gaped. "You guys _know?_"

"Well, we don't really _know _anything, but we _have _seen them together more than once." Lloyd remarked. Joe nodded.

"Oh, so you _don't _know. They're dating! Isn't it cute?" she said excitedly. Lloyd and Joe stared at each other.

"Wow! So they're dating... and, uh... wow. That must be kind of weird for you and Nina." Joe said with a small cough. Ann shook her head.

"Nina and I are pretty good friends, we have been since we were young, so it's not that big of a deal. Anyway, they may take it to the _next _level any day now."

"Really? Wow..." Kurt said with great interest. Sacchun, once again, seemed indifferent.

"Hey everybody!" Ray called out to them, balancing two trays. Eve walked beside him, looking gleeful.

"Room for two more?" she asked, sliding in next to Dia.

"Not really, but go ahead and try." Lloyd grinned, as their small table was becoming more and more crowded.

"Aaaaah! Finally." Ray let down the two trays in a somewhat graceful manner.

"Good boy." Eve said, giving him a peck on the cheek. She turned to see Joe, and gave him a glare. According to her, he was a '_bad influence' _on her little Ray. Ray sat next to her, barely fitting on the bench. He glared at Joe as well, more for the soccer ball incident than anything else. Joe chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

"Eve, Ray!" he said pleasantly.

Kurt smiled. "Good to see you two are back together."

"In a way." Eve said, twisting her fork into her dish of spaghetti.

"In a way?" Meg asked.

Eve grinned sinisterly. "Ray has a lot to make up for, you know."

"Which means...?"

"Basically, he has to do _whatever _I say, _whenever _I want." she winked. "Of course, he gets his rewards if he does a job well done." she said, kissing him on the cheek.

Lloyd snickered. "Wow, so basically, you're whipped."

Joe gave his friend an amused smile. "Or basically, it means, you're Eve's bi--"

"This is _your _fault!" Ray grumbled in protest. He felt his masculinity being diminished as he sat there.

Eve grabbed his muscly arm and squeezed. "It's not that bad, right, honey?" she batted her eyelashes.

"I suppose not..." he mumbled. Joe, Lloyd, and Kurt all laughed. Again, Sacchun had no reaction. Eve looked over at her with a frown. "Are you okay, sweetie?" she asked, concerned.

Sacchun looked up and opened her mouth to say something, when she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"EVERYOOONE! EVERYONE! Please, quiet down, now! I have an important announcement!" Manna yelled as she scurried into the Lunch Dome. Mr. Brassen and Mrs. Melodia followed her. Her attempts to quiet down the entire lunch dome were very unsuccesful - people were so used to tuning Manna out these days, that even her running into the lunch dome, yelling, was nothing short of normal.

"I wonder what the heck she wants...?" Ann asked, watching the teacher run around trying to get everyone's attention.

Finally, getting on top of a lunch table, Manna yelled out to everyone. "QUIET DOWN, PLEASE!" Taking in a huge breath of air, she opened her mouth and yelled out, "NOW!!!!!!!". Everyone immediately fell silent and stared at her - it was as if, for that one word, she had just yelled into a huge invisible megaphone. Manna smiled at the students.

"Now, I know this may be a bit hard to take in... and you will all be very dissapointed... and I will not blame you if you dissolve into tears, but, all good things must come to an end." she said, a huge grin on her face. She waited for the crowd to absorb her words before plowing on.

"You see, my dear students, I have good news, and bad news. Let's start with the bad news first, then, shall we? I mean, most people like to get the bad news over with as soon as possible so that they can fully enjoy the glow of the good news that follows. I mean, that's just normal among people, right?" she ranted on. "Ah, right, which brings me back to my point. The bad news is that... and I regret to tell you this, but... I will not be teaching for the rest of the year." she finished dramatically.

There was hardly any reaction within the crowd.

"That's _bad _news?" Joe muttered to Lloyd under his breath.

"...Well, I can see you are all too shocked to speak, so I will continue with the good news," she said happily. "You see, your teacher, Manna D'Amour, also known as, me - is going to be a grandmother!" she squealed. Not sure of what to do, the students began to clap for Manna, who wiped away a small tear of joy.

"My daughter, Aja, in a nearby city, is pregnant with my little grand-child. She's going to be due in July, so I'm going to be there for a little while." she explained to the students. "Of course, I may come back in June for a, er, _special event..._"

Mr. Brassen coughed loudly. "I think you've said enough, Manna..."

"Yes, yes, I have." Manna said. She exhaled and smiled at the crowd of students. "I am going to miss you all dearly, really." she said, putting a hand to her chest. As she stepped down from the table, the crowd slowly went back to their tables. Some students, who actually _liked _Manna, went to personally congratulate her, but Lloyd and his friends went back to their table.

Dia sipped from her juice box. "Wow, Manna - a grandmother. I didn't even know she was a mother."

"Eve, that'd be your cousin." Lloyd said in quietly, remembering that Manna was related to Eve.

"I heard Manna's daughter had run away from home and eloped with some guy to another city." Meg added.

Joe stared at her. "How do you find these things out?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It could just be a rumour, you know."

"Maybe it's all just..." Eve paused. "An April Fools day joke. It could be, you know. I wouldn't put it past her."

"It's a very bad one, if that's what it is." Lloyd said.

"Hmmm... Hey, wait here, I've got a _splendid _idea." Joe said with a mischievous grin. He got to his feet and straightened his shirt, walking right over to Manna. She was talking with Mrs. Melodia now.

"Mrs. D'Amour!" Joe said in a tone of mock-respect. "It is simply _splendid _to hear about your daughter being pregnant. I must say, it is the most exciting news I've heard all day! You certainly do have a knack for public announcements, you know, I've never seen these students listen to someone so attentively like that! Your speaking skills are unrivaled, Miss, that goes without saying." he gave her a small bow and smiled widely at her.

"Joe..." Manna said in a voice of forced calm. "I may have forgotten to mention this... but I spoke to your parents, and they want me to take you with me so we can continue working on your english lessons. They're paying me extra, obviously. Anyway, we're leaving in a couple of days so you'd better get your suitcase packed. Oh, bring some earmuffs, Duke snores like a walrus practicing a tuba. Sound good?" she asked in a tone of voice so serious, Joe took her seriously. He felt his insides turn to ice.

"_WHAT?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" _he yelled, pulling his hair.

Manna laughed at him with a vengeful grin. "Do you honestly take me for such a fool? Actually, this is a ...As you kids would put it... 'April Fools'!"

**// Post-Chapter Note: **I don't usually include these, but I wanted to put it at the end so that people wouldn't read it and spoil the chapter! But yes, I'm eager to know what you guys think about the whole magic thing. I know it seems kind of out of place, but it's not going to have a _crucial _part in the story. It'll be kept to a very, very small minimum, but it's a fun element to play around with in stories. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next one! **End Note //**


	33. Party at the Bench

**// Author's Note:** This chapter is kind of short and kind of filler, but It should prepare you for the next chapter, which'll be a pretty important one. It's slightly late because of stupid giving trouble with the document manager. I know some of you are wondering what's going to happen to Sacchun, but don't worry, that story arc is coming up. And I've had a few complaints about the lack of Meg in the latest chapters xD. Don't worry, I love her too, but it's not really her 'moment' right now. I can and will include her, but she won't have a big part until a bit later on. I know it's kind of a long way down the road, but once HH is finished, I'm going to make a "Revised & Rereleased" version. Which basically means, I'm going to go through the whole story, correct any and all grammar mistakes, and tie up any loose plot points (if there are any). In the final version of HH, I most likely am going to find parts that I will want to change (minorly, of course) or little scenes I'd like to add in, so don't overlook it once it comes out! This is one of my few chapters that doesn't involve the main four characters. Actually, this one has quite a few minor characters in it. Anyway, enjoy this chapter (the last one with Manna for a while!). Just some reminders for this chapter, though - Amber and Erica are Ann and Elli from Mineral Town, in case you forgot. There is no Lillia here, just Liz and her three children, Rick, Popuri, and Nina.

And one more thing! (as if this note wasn't long enough as it is XD). I also set up a small Harvest High forum here on You should check it out and post there, It's pretty cool** End Author's Note //**

Chapter 32: Party at the Bench

The sun made a rare appearance that weekend. Though it was spring, they had had mostly rain, leftover snow, and wind to deal with. Finally, the Harvest Goddess had blessed them with a beautiful day and a sky devoid of clouds or rain. 

"Well!" Liz said enthusiastically, clapping her hands together. "We have a _beautiful_ day here, so let's make the most of it, and hope that the weather is just as nice on the day of the Spring Goddess Festival!"

The Spring Goddess festival, a yearly tradition for them, was here once again. It was probably the most traditional festival the town had, since it rooted back to the old days when their small city was a small, rural, farming village. The girls of the town would always dress up in outfits that imitated the Goddess' style of dresses. These outfits usually included many flowers or floral designs on them. Then, they would perform the traditional Dance of the Goddess, and the festival would end with everyone dancing and singing along. They usually sold perfumes and plants and other flower-related items at the festival - it was like a true welcome part for Spring.

Almost ever year, however, the same five girls performed: Karen, Mary, Erica, Amber, and Popuri. They were the most traditional, other than Karen, who was forced into it every year by her stubborn mother. Her mother, Sasha, had always been part of the Goddess festival when she was her age, and insisted that Karen do the same. She was the best dancer there, even though she didn't really want to be. Popuri was just a huge fan of flowers, and loved the flowery outfits that she got to wear. Though Mary was shy, she didn't mind dancing, and Amber and Erica loved this festival and always looked forward to it. Liz was planning it, with the help of her eldest child, Rick. The festival was normally held in Azure Square, where most of the other town festivals were.

"Shall we practice the dance routine again, then?" she asked the five girls. Karen groaned.

_"Again?"_

Liz nodded and smiled. "We musn't stop until you have it right. The festival is only a week away, and I want our performance to be perfect!" 

"But it's the _same_ dance, _every_ year, and it's _boring_!" Karen protested, brushing back her blonde bangs.

"It's a tradition, young lady, and you will _dance_ till your feet fall off, for all I care!" Sasha scolded. She was watching their rehearsal. Along the sides of the square were a few people who were doing the same - Rick watched his sister and his best friend, Mary, as they danced, and Nina stood with him. Ann was with Nina as well, since her shop was right outside the square, and she had nothing better to do on a Saturday morning. With her, was of course, her father, Michael Brassen, who was watching Liz teach the girls.

Rick beamed. "Popuri's gotten better since last year."

"Yeah..." Nina nodded, not really paying attention to Popuri's dance.

"It seems like a lot of hard work," Mr. Brassen said. "But your mother does a fine job, doesn't she?" he looked around at Rick and Nina. Rick was always polite with him, but Nina didn't like him. She was only polite because she was friends with Ann, but besides that, she really wished he would just stay out of their lives.

"Yeah, Mom always does a great job!" Rick said conversationally. "I wish she didn't spend so much time away from home, though, at this time of year... but I'm glad it makes her happy." Rick was always a 'good boy' - he always helped his mom with errands, never talked back, always got good grades, and was generally very polite.

"Yeah," the older man agreed. "It must be hard not having another parent figure around the house when your mom's away." 

Nina shrugged. "It's not _that_ bad."

"Hey, uh, Nina, do you want to go get some ice cream with me?" Mr. Brassen asked the pink-haired girl, trying to befriend her.

Ann got to her feet and stretched. "Mmm, I'll come with."

"Rick, can we get you anything?" Mr. Brassen asked.

The red-haired boy licked his lips. "Maple walnut, please. My favorite." 

"So, wanna come, Nina?" Mr. Brassen turned to her. She looked up at him - even though she didn't like him, and didn't like the fact that he was getting too close to her mother, she figured free ice cream was _always_ a nice perk.

Rick was left alone to watch the girls continue their dance rehearsal. Liz began counting slowly so the girls would dance in time with the music. They knew the dance perfectly by now, but they always worked on fixing small things each year to make it even better. Rick was left to enjoy the spring breeze, when a girl with short brown hair walked over.

"Hi Rick! I see the rehearsals have started again, huh?" Ellen asked.

He waved. "Yep! Mom's working extra hard, which means I have to help out even more around the house."

She smiled warmly. "It's good of you to help her like that."

"How's your father doing?" Rick asked, adjusting his glasses and blushing a bit.

"Not good," she shook her head sadly. "Another hangover. He's been drinking even more lately. No one's really sure why, but it's really bad. I've had to put in extra hours at the shop because of it."

"I, uh, I could stop by after school and help you sometime, if you'd like." Rick offered. Ellen smiled and shook her head.

"You have enough to worry about right now." she found it incredible how someone could be as generous as he was being.

Rick smiled at her. "So what are you doing out, anyway?"

"Just out for a walk. It is the first nice day we've had in a while, huh?" she gestured to the clear sky. The trees were swaying gracefully with the breeze, the small buds on the branches gently moving. People were out going for walks, walking their dogs, and enjoying the good weather.

"You know," she said, brushing her brown hair out of her face. "Whenever it's cloudy and snowy outside... I seem to be a lot moodier than usual, you know? I guess people tend to be gloomier when the weather is bad."

"Actually..." said an icy voice behind her. "It's scientificially proven that if you don't get enough sunlight, your body will lack Vitamin D, which can affect your mood."

Ellen swung around to find Mary, complete with dark blue track pants and her black hair tied in a neat ponytail.

"Oh, Mary!" Rick said enthusiastically, as if failing to see the icy glare she was giving him. "Is the rehearsal over already?"

"We're just taking a small break." she replied curtly.

Ellen seemed oblivious as well. "Mary! I can't wait to see your performance this year!"

"Mm, yes, it will be quite impressive." she replied, sounding annoyed.

"I can imagine! Anyway, I guess I'd better go..." Ellen seemed to get the hints that Mary was sending over. "Oh, but Rick, do you think you could come see me after the Spring Goddess festival?"

"Hm?" Rick looked up at Ellen.

She giggled. "Nah, I just have a little surprise for you."

"Huh? A Surprise?"

"You'll see!" she winked and turned to run off, waving behind her. Mary took a seat next to Rick on the bench and reached for her water bottle. Taking in several gulps of water, she sighed.

"So, you have a date for the festival, it seems."

Rick's face turned red and he adjusted his glasses again. "Eheheh... It's not really a date."

Mary simply shook her head and sighed. "Oh Rick, you really don't recognize these signs very clearly, do you?" she asked sharply.

"S-Signs?"

Mary sighed in exasperation. "Yes, signs. It's _quite_ obvious that --"

"Rick! Mary! I'm so glad I managed to see you two!" called a voice. They looked over to the entrance of the square. Manna was standing there, her hair blowing in the wind. She wore a sunday hat and was holding what looked like a rather small suitcase.

"Mrs. D'Amour!" Rick called over, waving. She walked over to them, struggling with her suitcase. Rick rushed over to help her. 

"Thank you, thank you, dear. Well, I suppose this is the last time we will see each other until June." she looked at them fondly. "I'm leaving in only a couple of hours. Ah, I can't wait to see my little grand-daughter when she's born!" she sighed, then looked back at them. "You two were probably my best students. Mary, you made an excellent narrator, if I do say so myself. You know, you almost remind me of me when I was younger... Always the over-achiever, I was. Brought home straight A's and nineties on my report cards and my parents were _still_ never satisfied!" she laughed. "I mean, there was even one time, when my parents were away, and I had brought my report card home, and it was just me and my big brother, you see, and well..." she continued her very animated story. After about ten minutes, during which she had dropped her suitcase, taken a seat between Mary and Rick on the bench, and helped herself to Mary's water bottle, Karen walked over, with Amber and Erica. They were all talking cheerfully.

"So, you're going to enter the Cooking contest at school again?" Erica was asking Amber.

"Oh, definitely!" the red-haired girl replied. Her hair was tied in a long braid that went down to her back, tied with a pink ribbon. "You know, besides this one, the Cooking contest is my favorite festival of the year, you know."

"Only because you always win!" The other girl laughed. Erica had shoulder length straight brown hair, and very rosy cheeks.

"Can you lend me a recipe again this year, Amber? For some reason it doesn't seem to work out when I tried to make it..." Karen said, sounding irritated.  
Amber snickered. "Are you sure you don't want me to just give you a full-out cooking course?"

"Hey!! What exactly are you implying?!" Karen snapped.

Manna paused to look at the three girls. "Karen! I'm glad you're here as well!" Manna got up and pulled her into a hug.

"Ack - Manna - I, I mean... Mrs. D'Amour, what are you ... doing?" Karen stuttered.

Manna let go of Karen and beamed. "I'm going to miss you while I'm gone!"

"...Really?" Karen sounded doubtful.

"You're going to grow up to be such a beautiful young lady..."

"...You're only leaving for a few months..." 

"You remind me of _myself_ when I was young! You know, every year I'd bring home the beauty pageant prize and my parents would _never_ be satisfied! I mean, there was even this one time, when..." and before they could stop her, Manna had launched into another one of her stories. She pulled Karen, Amber, and Erica and squeezed them in with the rest of them on the bench, even though Amber and Erica were not even her students.

"...and the Judge asked me for my secret beauty tips after the show, I think she was very jealous, just between you and me..."

Karen rolled her eyes, though it went unnoticed by Manna. "Right..."

Soon, another group of people arrived to interrupt Manna's story - Mr. Brassen, Ann, and Nina arrived again, carrying ice cream. Mr. Brassen stared at the significantly larger group around the bench.

"Oh, ah, If I had known more people would be here, I would've bought more ice cream... Sorry about that, everyone..." he said appologetically. Manna looked up at her fellow teacher.

"Michael! I was just telling the kids here about the time I won that math competition in fifth grade."

"I thought you were talking about a Beauty Pageant..." Karen pointed out.

"Yes, yes, that's what I said, wasn't it?" Manna laughed.

Mr. Brassen smiled. "It really is going to be... different, with you gone, Manna."

She looked over at Nina. "Oh, aren't you nice? That extra ice cream cone must have been for me!" she pointed at the ice cream that Nina had gotten for Rick.

"Er, actually..." Nina started.

Rick looked at her and shook his head.

"But it's..."

Rick shook his head again, looking sternly at his little sister. She sighed and gave the ice cream cone to Manna, who accepted it graciously. Ann smiled at Rick.  
"Thank you, dear." Manna smiled, licking it happily. "Michael, kids, I insist, join us!" she said, patting the extremely small amount of bench space left.

Mr. Brassen looked at it uncertainly. "I don't think we'll all be able to..."

"Nonsense!" Manna miraculously managed to pull them all into a seat on the bench.

"It's getting rather tight..." Mary said.

Erica grunted. "Just a little." she squeaked. 

"So, Michael," Manna looked over at him with a fox-like grin on her face. "Are you ready for ... the _big_ event?" she asked him, as if the kids weren't there.

"Er... Manna, maybe it's best not to talk about..."

"I bet you're excited. Or maybe nervous? A little bit of both, I suppose. It's perfectly natural, though!" she said with an amused tone of voice. Mr. Brassen looked rather uncomfortable.

"I guess a little of both, but anyway, what about your daughter--?" he attempted to change the subject.

"You remind me of me when I was just a bit younger. You know, it took Duke so much courage to -"

"Oh! Liz! Nice to see you!" Mr. Brassen said. He sounded so enthusiastic, it was obvious that he was uncomfortable. Liz had just walked over with Popuri.

"Sweetie, It seems like the bench's population suddenly augmented..." she looked around at the everyone crammed into the bench.

"There's still room, you know!" Manna offered. 

Karen groaned. "No, there isn't. There _really_ isn't."

"Nonsense, darling, nonsense!" she once again managed to fit Liz and Popuri in with the rest of them. "So Popuri, dear, I hear you're working hard to put on _quite_ a show this year!"

"Er, yes, miss... It'll be fantastic." she said, trying to contain her laughter. Though Manna was, as usual, oblivious, Liz scowled at her daughter. 

"You know what? You _really_ remind me of myself when I was young. I used to go out to those dance clubs all the time, you know, when I was your age and_ such._ I was such a talented dancer, they used to call me Manna the Magnificent Mermaid! ... with feet." she said lamely. Everyone around her suddenly broke out into a series of small coughs that were really sad attempts at concealing their laughter.

"Manna... the magnificent mermaid with feet, you say?" Karen asked, as if she had never heard something more amusing.

"Impressive, I know!" said the oblivious Manna. "Would anyone like some tea?" she asked, diving for her suit case. She opened it and took out a thermos and several styrofoam cups. She poured them each a cup of tea.

"What is this, a tea party?" Nina blurted out. Liz scowled at her.

"Thank you, Mrs. D'Amour!" Rick said courteously, accepting the cup of tea and turning Liz's scowl into a smile.

"Thank you, Manna..." Mr. Brassen sipped the tea. They all sat in silence as they drank their tea and watched the trees sway in a steady rhythm with the wind.

"I've always loved spring..." Manna said with a nostalgic air. They all looked at her, and expected her to launch into another one of her long-winded tales. To their surprise, however, she sat in silence for once and admired the scenery around her.

"Are you okay, Mrs. D'Amour?" Karen asked, breaking the silence. Her eyebrow was raised as she watched her usually talkative teacher.  
Manna nodded. "It's a time for new beginnings, in a way. I just can't believe my daughter is having a little baby." she said, on the verge of tears.

"It must be a wonderful feeling." Liz put a hand on her shoulder.

"It is..." she said calmly. "...I'm sure you'll experience it soon enough, Liz!" she said happily. Popuri and Nina spit out their tea simultaneously, and Rick laughed.

"...Manna, what the heck ... I've been waiting in the car for..." Duke appeared at the entrance of the square, looking around wildly for his wife. He ran over and his jaw dropped at the number of people sitting at the bench, sipping tea, with Manna in the middle.

"_...YOU SAID YOU WERE JUST GOING TO SEE THE SQUARE ONE LAST TIME!_" he roared. Everyone snickered.

"Oh, oh my, did I really? I'm so sorry, honey, I must have gotten distracted again!"

"What is this, some kind of tea party you're all having?" he scratched his head inquisitively.

"Something like that." Mr. Brassen smiled.

"...Right. Anyway, come on Manna, we want to make it their in good time, you know..." he grabbed his wife by the hand and began dragging her away.  
"Ah -- wait, Duke! Jeez! Well, bye everyone! I'll see you all in June! I wish you all the best - especially you, Michael! Good luck at the Spring Goddess festival!" she yelled out as Duke dragged her out of the square. Mr. Brassen looked down, his face red, and everyone else waved, as Manna got in the car with her husband. She opened the window and waved one last time, before Duke stepped on the gas pedal and they sped off into the distance. 


	34. Blossoms

**// Author's Note: **Well... I feel bad XD. I'm sorry I haven't been updating regularly like I said I would! I got sick (twice) and missed a lot of school... and then when I got back, there was a lot to catch up. Then another huge personal project of mine was revived from the dead recently, and I was absorbed by that. And on top of it all, this chapter is kind of short. Why? Well, it was originally going to be the super long Spring Goddess festival chapter, but I realised that it would take _forever _and you guys have waited enough, so I decided to cut it off at a certain part and post it here. It's better than nothing! Don't consider this chapter filler, because quite a bit happens here which sets up future events. Don't worry, the next chapter will be long and fun. Sorry everyone! **End Author's Note //**

**Character Notes:**

Lucy Clifford - She's an OC, and was mentioned way back in Chapter 20. See if you can find it there!

Chapter 33: Blossoms

April moved along quickly, urging the spectacular cherry blossoms of Flowerbud to sprout all around Azure Street. Tourists appeared around the streets as well, to attend the famous Spring Goddess festival. Azure Street was always more crowded than usual during the month of April because of this. The cherry blossoms were loved by all - some loved them for their romantic value, some for the way they lit up the whole street and made it seem a lot brighter than it was, and some just because of their sheer beauty. However, there was still one exception.

"Ugh... I hate these ugly cherry blossoms. They're so pink and colorful and _blargh._" Dia muttered. Jinx peeked his head out of her handbag.

"I don't see what's so wrong with them, meow. They look like they'd be fun to play with."

"Jinx! I told you to keep out of view when we're out in public." she said in a worried voice. Jinx disappeared back into the bag a moment later. "Remember, Jinx, it's not entirely _normal _for cat toys to have the ability to talk." she reminded him.

"Meow..." said the dissapointed voice of Jinx within the bag. The two of them continued to walk down Azure street, before stopping at a small corner shop.

Dia peered inside the window. "This is the same antique shop Kurt and I were at a while ago..."

"Hm...?" Jinx raised his head, though only enough so that he could see.

"Kurt bought me that tea set I wanted..." she remarked. "But it broke that night."

"I'm sorry, meow!!" Jinx said in a squeaky voice for what seemed like the millionth time to him.

She continued to walk. "It's not a big deal."

"It seemed really important to you, meow..."

"Well yes, I won't lie... It _was _important, but you know, things like this happen all the time. They're called 'accidents'. There's nothing we can do but learn from them." Dia said wisely. Jinx nodded, before attacking one of the neatly wrapped cookies in Dia's hand bag.

"...Are you eating another one? They're _supposed _to be for Kurt." she said, with a hint of irritation creeping into her voice. "You don't even _need _to eat!"

"Yesum, but they're yummy!"

"...How do you even taste it? And for that matter, where the heck does it go after you eat...?"

"Iunno." Jinx munched on the cookie happily. "Musht be magic, or shomethin'..."

A breeze picked up and Dia brushed her black hair out of her face.

"Magic..." she said to herself, imagining the word catching on to the breeze and floating off into the sky.

---

"Mmmrph... Do I _have _to go?" Joe asked lazilly as he turned over in his bed. "It's too early..."

"You don't _have _to, but I'm just going to stand here and continue throwing marbles at you until you get up, so you might as well." Lloyd said with a grin, flicking marbles out of his hand at his sleeping room-mate.

"Mmkay, mmkay, I'm gettin' up." Joe got up and stretched. Having completed his mission, Lloyd returned to the kitchen, where he was fixing himself some tea, and some coffee for Joe. After both were ready, he went back into Joe's room to find him snoring loudly again in his bed.

"OI! JOE!" he resisted the urge to pour the pot of coffee on his head.

"Mmmph... But the Spring Goddess' festival is _boring... _s'the same dance every year..." he yawned.

"Who cares! We're meeting Meg and Sacchun at Azure Square, so let's go!"

Joe opened an eye at the mentioning of Sacchun."Okay, okay... I'm gettin' up."

Lloyd left his room to let him change and turned on the weather channel. He was glad that he didn't have to worry about any sudden snowstorms anymore. Joe came out of his room a few minutes later, fully dressed.

"Y'know," he grabbed a piece of toast from the counter. "Karen's gonna be dancing."

Lloyd felt his back stiffen. "Yeah."

" 'Yeah'? That's it? Come on, Lloyd, everyone knows you and Karen went out for Valentines' Day last month."

"Huh?"

Joe smirked. "Word's gotten around. But anyway, how did it go?"

"Eh... It was okay." Lloyd said quickly.

"Which means... it wasn't that great."

Lloyd lowered his head. "Okay, so it was pretty lousy - I'll have to give you the full version of the story on the way, though, because we have to go if we wanna make it there in time." He grabbed a light spring jacket, grabbed Joe's arm, and pulled him out of their room.

---

"Wooow..." Joe stared at his friend after he concluded the thrilling tale of his Valentines misadventure. "And here I thought _my _date was complicated!"

"Yeah..." Lloyd mumbled. The two boys walked towards Azure Square. The weather was comfortable, and the cherry blossom trees were blossoming cheerily, which made for a very enjoyable walk.

Joe scratched his head awkwardly. "So.. you two haven't spoken at all since then, huh?"

"Nope... Okay, well we have, but not much. It seems she's gone back to dating Dan, though."

"Does that bother you at all...?" Joe asked. Lloyd paused and stared at the cherry blossoms.

"Oddly enough, It doesn't." he said softly, his mind on Gwen. "How about you 'n Katie?"

"Still going strong. Our six month anniversary is next month!"

Lloyd chuckled. "I can't believe it's been nearly six months since you two hooked up."

"I can't believe how incredibly fast this year has gone by." Joe said with a nod. His feet started to drag.

"Come on, Joe, we have to go if we're gonna meet Sacchun and Meg in time." Lloyd urged.

"Yeah..." Joe started, "That's another thing we need to talk about."

Lloyd stopped. "Huh?"

His friend took off his starry bandana and started playing with it in his hands. "They've both been kind of... weird, lately."

"Huh...?" Lloyd hadn't noticed, but he'd never admit that he was too wrapped up in his own complications to notice.

Joe simply shrugged. "Meg's been staying alone, locked up in her room, more than usual, and Sacchun's just not acting like... Sacchun."

"You don't think we've been ignoring them without noticing, do you...?" Lloyd asked slowly.

Joe twisted his bandana. "We-well, we've been busy..."

"We've had our fair share of ... complications, lately... maybe they're going through some similar stuff."

"...Hrm." Joe frowned. "Sacchun and Carl have been going out for six months also. I have to admit, I'm surprised they lasted this long... I mean, she was more or less just asking him out to have someone to go with to the Starry Night Ball!"

"And how's that any different from your situation...?" Lloyd teased.

"H-Hey! I'm serious about the relationships I'm in!" he said defensively.

Lloyd grinned. "Yeah, because your past - what was it? _three_? - Yes, your past three relationships were so serious!" he said sarcastically.

"_Four!_"

"Dude, dating Amber in _second grade _doesn't count."

"Damn."

---

Her long blue hair sticking out like a sore thumb in the sea of pink petals, Mia walked slowly and primly towards the square. She wasn't in much of a hurry. She doubted she would miss the dance, since it was usually preceded by a lengthy speach courtesy of her own father, as he was the director on the city council of most of these events.

Even though she loved learning all about the goddess and the way their town was decades ago, Mia felt tired as she walked through the street littered with cherry blossoms. She felt it would be good for her, since she hadn't had much social interaction with anyone lately, save her father and a few other friends. She wasn't even sure why, but she just felt like she had had a bit _too much _interaction since New Years.

_"I'm sorry Ann, I think I misheard yooooouu mmph! Ann!" _

_"A-ANN!"_

_"That's ... something we don't see everyday."_

_"M-Mia, are you okay?"_

_"Pfft, like you haven't seen two people kiss before!"_

_"Never two girls."_

_"What difference does it make?!"_

She wasn't sure what to make of these thoughts. Though Mia was always a great problem-solver, her mind was too jumbled up, even for her.

_Could it be that I really do like her? Is that why I can't even look her in the eyes? _she thought to herself. Her mind wanted to stray from the topic.

_No. I'm probably going to see her at the festival... I can't keep hiding forever! _she shook her head. _I just need more time to think... _

She strayed off the main path and walked under the cool shade of a cherry blossom tree. Sitting against it, she sighed and let her back relax. _Think, Mia... there's nothing wrong with kissing another girl ... is there?_

_I could just go up to her and act as if nothing changed between us but... do I even want that? I don't want to lose Ann as a friend... but I'm not sure if..._

Ann's words rang in her head.

_"What difference does it make?!" _

"Maybe you're right, Ann..." Mia whispered out loud. She put her fingers to her lips. "Maybe you're right."

---

"Are you sure you should be drinking right before you have to perform?" Popuri asked.

Karen gulped down the beer. "It's no big deal, Popo."

"Don't call me that." her pink-haired friend said, annoyed. "I hate that nickname and you know it. It's almost as bad as Kare-Bear."

"Ew..." Karen shuddered. She was standing behind a particularly thick tree that was at the edge of the square. Dressed elegantly in a long white dress with light green, pink, and blue flowers, with a loose circlet of flowers around her head, Karen's portrait of elegance was ruined slightly by the beer bottle in her hand.

"Naughty, naughty..." Another friend said, sounding amused. The sunlight shone on her long violet hair. "Now now, Karen, we wouldn't want you to screw up, y'know. _Mommy's _watching."

"Shove it, Lucy." Karen rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised you even came. Since when do you participate in town festivals?"

Lucy smiled. "Since I found out you were dancing this year."

"I dance _every _year." Karen pointed out.

"Well no one bothered to inform me." Lucy whined fakely. Her dark eyes glinted. She had a tall and slim figure and generally a body to die for - a body that Karen was slightly jealous of. Only slightly.

"Since we're being naughty, naughty girls behind the cherry blossom tree, I might as well join in on the fun." she took out a pocket-sized silver case that held her cigarettes, and lit one with her lighter.

"Ugh... How can you even lecture _me _about drinking when you're there inhaling those cancer sticks." Karen scrunched her face up as Lucy blew a ring of smoke into her face.

"Shut up." she rolled her eyes.

Popuri just stared. "...How are you two even _friends_?"

"Eh..." Lucy rubbed the back of her head.

Karen smirked. "Luce needed a _new _group of friends after she ditched those prissy cheerleaders."

"Yeah, yeah..." she tapped the end of her cigarette.

Popuri checked her Hello Kitty watch. "Come on, Karen, you better sober up. You're going on soon." She swung around suddenly. "And you better get rid of the bottle, too, looks like someone's coming this way."

Meg walk, her vivid blonde hair making her look like she was glowing in the sunlight.

"Isn't that one of Lloyd's friends?" Karen wondered aloud.

Lucy scoffed. "Yeah, Miss Perfect-in-everything. Straight A's, 90s, honor roll... Ugh."

"Jealous?" Karen teased.

"As if."

Meg walked over.

"Hey." Karen said casually.

Meg nodded at her, then turned to Lucy. "I don't really know you," she said briskly. "...but could I bum one of those off you?" she gestured to the cigarette in her hand.

Karen and Popuri stared. Lucy paused and said, "Uh... Sure. I didn't know you smoked."

"Mm, yeah." was Meg's simple response. Lucy pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and handed it to Meg.

"Thanks." she said. "Good luck today, Karen." she waved and walked off with the cigarette in hand.

The girls stared.

"Wow... So little miss perfect ain't so perfect, huh?" Karen mused.

Lucy seemed impressed. "Interesting."

"...I'm _so_ confused..." Popuri said slowly. Karen took one last gulp of beer and threw the bottle into a near-by garbage can. She took a breathmint from her pocket and popped it in her mouth.

"Well, old Theodore's almost done... We better go." Karen stretched and walked casually into the square, as if she had never left.

"Finally..." Popuri followed her.

Lucy turned around and stared at the small yellow spec that was Meg as she walked away. With a smirk, she turned and followed.

---

Sacchun seethed. "I can't believe Meg would leave without me! And let me oversleep on top of that! I was supposed to go _with _her!". She threw on some clothes, washed her face, stuffed a bagel in her mouth and gave Momo a pat on the head.

"This sucks... Now I have to walk all the way there alone!" she said angrily. "Jeez... Why is Meg being so distant lately?"

She opened the door and exited her room, closing it behind her. Just as the door clicked into place, the phone rang. It rang a few more times, before with a beep, the answering machine came on.

_"HEYAZ! This is Meg and Sacchun, the two uber ninjas of Flowerbud --"_

_"Sacchun, you better not be recording something stupid..."_

_"AND WE'RE TOTALLY AWESOME, SO LEAVE US A TOTALLY AWESOME MESSAGE, OKAY?! RIGHT AFTER THE BEEP 'N STUFF, YOU KNOW HOW IT WORKS."_

_"Can you stop shouting?! I'm trying to study --"_

BEEP.

The voice of Sacchun's mother suddenly boomed through the empty and quiet room.

_"Sasha? You've been ignoring our calls again and not returning our messages! Oh well, as we told you over Christmas break, once your father and I found some time off from our busy schedules, we'd be coming in to check with you and discuss what... we had discussed over the break! So be sure to see us at the airport at around five next Friday! Have a good weekend, dear."_

And with a click, she hung up.


	35. Traditions Are Killed

**// Author's Note: **Another long chapter! But I'm still behind, haha. They're still in April in this fic. With this chapter, I break 100,000 words!!! 100,000 in 34 Chapters... I'm not sure if that's really good or not, but either way, I'm a happy author. Anyway, This one is an interesting one, and touches more on some aspects from the acctual Harvest Moon game. It also touches on some more sensitive topics, but I think most of you saw this coming eventually. Uh... I'm really tired and don't know what else to say, so... enjoy? Thanks for all the awesome reviews, as usual, and I don't own Tylenol and what not, I'm just using it in my story xD. Nami's introduced in this chapter - and yes, she's in MM, so she counts. Her last name is kind of a cameo of a Rune Factory character (Rune Factory is one of the many new Harvest Moon games coming out, by the way) because that character kind of reminds me of Nami XD. Also, I have no idea if it's possible to be allergic to cherry blossoms or pollen or whatever, but hey, it's just a fanfiction, so don't take it too seriously! XD. I don't think there's anything more to say so... enjoy Chapter 34! **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 34: Traditions (Are Killed)

Lloyd and Joe arrived at the square and were welcomed by the sweet fragrant of sweets and flowers and some cheerful folk music. As usual, the square was crammed with many different activities and displays all related to the Goddess. There was an art exhibition, where the art teacher of Flowerbud High, Henry Manoir, was showing some famous paintings of the Goddess. Right next to it was where Mr. Barrette was giving a lecture on the history of the goddess - not many people were paying attention to that, except for a young woman with short, messy, red hair that they had never seen before. Doug was running a stand and selling tons of baked sweets - it seemed to be a kind of collaboration stand between Doug's Diner and the Callaway Cafe, as Carl was helping also. Towards the end, there was a large tent set up for the dancers to prepare. The whole square was decorated with streamers of fake flowers, and they were giving away circlets of flowers at certain stands around the square.

"Should we get one? You'd look _beautiful _with one around your head." Joe teased.

Lloyd laughed. "Yeah, definitely. We'll get a couple for Ringo and Momo, too." Theodore was stepping down from a podium and it looked like a small crowd was dispersing.

"Looks like we missed Theodore's usual speech..." Joe remarked.

"Yeah... And for that, I have to thank you for sleeping in..."

Joe laughed. "You owe me one. Go wear a flowery circlet around your head for the rest of the festival."

"Har, har." his friend replied sarcastically. Joe looked around.

"The girls aren't here yet... weird."

Lloyd also scanned the crowd. "We were supposed to meet them here though, why would they be late...?"

Before Lloyd could ponder about it anymore, they were interrupted by a girl running towards them at top speed. Her black pigtails whipped behind her as she rushed up to them.

"Hey hey, If it isn't Sacchun!" Joe raised his hand to give her a high five.

She ignored him. "Have - have you two seen Meg?"

Lloyd looked at her curiously. "Nope, we just got here... Weren't you supposed to be here _with _Meg?"

"Y-Yeah..." Sacchun started, "...but she was being a meanie! She left without telling me! She didn't even bother waking me up!" she groaned.

"It's okay, we'll go look for her." Joe assured her. Sacchun sighed irritably in response.

"She's been weird lately." she said bluntly.

Joe put his hand on her shoulder. "Duh. You'd have to be blind not to notice. I wonder what's up?"

"...I miss the old Meggie..." Sacchun whined with the air of a child who just lost their balloon. "...Ooh! They're giving away those flowery circlet things! I want!" her tone changed almost instantaneously and she sped off to the nearest volunteer.

"...Heh, maybe she hasn't changed too much." Joe said with a sigh of relief.

Lloyd wasn't too sure, however. "...She still sounded preoccupied."

"Maybe... We should ask her about it."

"Now's probably not the best time."

Sacchun returned with a circlet of flowers on her head and twirled around. "Where should we go next, then?"

"I still want a muffin..." Joe whined. Sacchun removed the circlet from her head and put it on Joe's.

"I'll get ya one if you wear this circlet for the rest of the festival!"

Lloyd laughed. "Great minds think alike, huh?", he nudged Joe. Joe adjusted the circlet on his head and smiled back.

---

"My feet hurt..." Erica moaned. Amber walked over to her friend and gave her a reassuring smile.

"You say that every year, Erica. You're just nervous!" she grinned.

Erica stuck out her tongue. "Mleh. I guess."

"Karen?" Amber turned to the taller girl, who was sitting on a bench across from them. "Are you okay? You look kinda out of it."

"...Meh. S'nerves also." Karen said. She rubbed her eyes. _Damn..., _she thought. _I didn't think I drank THAT much! I feel pretty damn awful right now... _

The red-haired girl continued to stare at Karen uncertainly. "You sure?"

"Mmmyeah, I'm fine." Karen put her hand on her stomach and rubbed it softly. "Dammit, stop worrying, Amber!" she said, louder than she meant to.

Amber flinched. "S-Sorry, Karen... I just..."

"Nah... I'm sorry." Karen walked out the back of the tent. She needed to get away from the stuffy tent if she was going to be able to perform in just half an hour. Outside, she met Lucy again, leaning against a tree and smoking a new cigarette.

"What's wrong, princess?" Lucy asked teasingly. Karen gave her a very rude gesture with her finger.

"Not feeling well. Head hurts." she mumbled.

The violet haired girl stretched. "Probably too much beer. Mommy won't be happy."

"Jeez, leave me alone for once! You're getting to be a _really _annoying friend!" Karen snarled. Lucy's eyes widened slightly, then returned to normal size.

She swung around. "Whatever you want, princess." Lucy began to walk away.

"Wh-Where are you going?" Karen asked wildly.

"You don't need to know _everything._" she said irritably and walked off before Karen could ask again. Karen kicked the tree out of frustration.

"She can be a real pain in the ass, sometimes..." she muttered under her breath. However, she was still curious to know what Lucy was up to.

Liz's bright pink head popped out of the tent. "Karen, come on, we're almost ready to go on."

The blonde girl turned around and yawned. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." she followed her back into the tent.

---

Mia walked around aimlessly through the crowd of people at the square. She was too wrapped up in her thoughts to care about the festival going on around her. She passed by a volunteer who offered her a free flower circlet, and she took it without really noticing.

_Okay, Mia, time to regroup. Once again. _she thought to herself adamantly. The blue-haired librarian walked off towards the side of the square and found comfort underneath a large tree. Sitting against it, she once again dove into her thoughts.

_I really, really wish thinks weren't so complicated. Or maybe I'm just making this way too complicated? I'm overthinking this, aren't I? I should just go up and talk to her, and we can continue being friends... just friends. That's it. Nothing more. _Mia couldn't understand why she felt something within her as she thought those last words - was it, could it be, regret? That thought just seemed to complicate things more.

_If only I could wipe my mind of all concious thoughts, just casually talk to Ann, and have everything back to normal... _she felt like a puzzle who's pieces were bent and would no longer fit together. However, she was forced out of her thoughts by a rude interruption - someone was coughing behind her. Swinging around wildly, Mia stared at the tree.

_Was the tree... just coughing? No, come on, Mia, that's impossible, stop being an idiot... _

Someone coughed again. Mia got up and slowly walked around the tree to see who was on the other side. To her surprise, she found a girl with long blonde hair leaning against the tree and coughing.

"M-Meg!" she exclaimed, surprised.

"Oh, M-Mia," she said in between coughs. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I was just... yeah, hanging out... behind this tree."

Mia could smell an almost sickeningly familiar smell coming from Meg's mouth. The smell of tabacco. She knew the smell well - _too ­_well, unfortunately. Seeing as her parents were divorced, her mother had moved on to many different boyfriends. The one she was with for the longest, before Mia had come down for the school year, was a heavy smoker and felt as if he could smoke whenever he wanted no matter where he was.

"Hanging out...?" Mia looked at her quizically.

Meg's eyes looked teary. "Just hanging out. I needed some time away from ... the noise. I was getting a headache." she lied.

"Oh... Same here, to be honest." Mia replied. The blonde turned to leave and Mia saw something in her back pocket that startled her.

"I - Is that a lighter?"

Meg stopped in her tracks. "N-No. I mean, yeah, yeah it is. But I just keep it for show." she lied again.

"Uh-huh." Mia said in a deadpan.

"O-Okay, well, I better go --"

The librarian decided to go with the direct-yet-slightly-blunt approach. "You smoke, don't you?" she interrupted.

Meg shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "Lotsa people do..." she mumbled.

"I - I know it's none of my business, I just never thought that _you _of all people..."

It was Meg's turn to interrupt. "What do you _mean_?" she asked, her tone rather icy.

"Uh, well -"

"Just because I'm the Meg with straight A's and perfect test scores, you can't imagine me smoking? How stereotypical of you."

Mia's eyes widened. "I ... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything. I was just saying..." she trailed off.

"I'm sick of everyone treating me like I'm a good little girl! You people are so simple-minded, it drives me insane!" Meg said aggressively. She slammed her fist into the tree. This didn't accomplish much, since Meg simply could not punch. She rubbed her wrist and glared at the tree as if it was its fault.

Mia approached her slowly. "Calm down... I'm not trying to attack you or something."

The other girl stared into her eyes and knew that Mia was being sincere. Still, she didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm going to go." she said, her voice notably lower.

"Meg..." Mia said slowly, as she watched her walk away.

---

"Here you go." Doug said with a cheery smile as he handed a muffin and cinnamon roll to Joe and Sacchun respectively.

"I'll see you when the dance starts, sweetie pie!" Carl said with a large smile on his face.

"Eheheh, yeah... are you sure you don't want something, Lloyd?" Sacchun asked, zipping up her wallet.

Lloyd shook his head. "No thanks, I'm okay."

"Thanks Sacchun, I've had a sweet tooth all day!" Joe smiled happily as he took a bite of his muffin.

"Well, honey, why didn't you say so?" said a voice from behind the stand. Joe swung around and saw Katie standing there, wearing a Callaway Cafe apron.

"Katie! I was wondering where you were!"

The orange-haired girl glomped her boyfriend. "You go have fun for now, I'll catch up with you when the dancing starts. I can't wait! I've been practicing my old traditional dancing, too. It'll be fun to dance together again, huh?"

Joe stared at her blankly. "Wait... _we _have to dance? No one informed me of this!"

"Well duh," Carl said. "Following the traditional five-girl dance is when the whole town finds a partner and dances! It'll be so much fun, right, sugar plum?" he turned to Sacchun.

"Too much fun to handle. Whoo!" Sacchun said with mock excitement, that went unnoticed by Carl, for he replied with an enthusiastic "Yup!!"

"I guess the girls will start dancing soon..." Lloyd remarked, staring off at the tent where the girls were currently preparing.

Joe took a hungry bite out of his muffin. "Yum... What should we do until then?"

"Let's just go sit down and wait for it to start." Lloyd suggested. They walked over to the sides of the square where blankets were layed out for the townsfolk. There was a baby blue blanket that no one seemed to be using. Sitting only a few metres away, on a bench, was a woman with messy, short red hair and reading glasses. She looked like she was having the least fun in the world, and she had her lazy eyes glued to the book in her hands. Something about the young woman irritated Sacchun. She had an air of maddening superiority around her, as if she was above the people attending this festival.

"Probably another tourist..." Joe whispered, after seeing who Sacchun was staring at.

Lloyd turned around and stared. "She looks... kinda familiar, actually."

"She does..." Sacchun squinted and tilted her head to the side. Her eyes became wide a moment later. "Oh! She's... holy crap, she's the news anchor on FBTV! Nami Linette!"

"Really?! She looks so different... her hair is all messy and I had no idea she wore glasses." Joe said in a low voice.

"What the heck would she be doing here?" Lloyd wondered.

Sacchun scoffed. "Doesn't look like she's here for the festival." she had obvious dislike in her words. Joe blushed.

"She's kinda cute."

"Whaaaaat?! Joe, that's gross! She's like, forty!" Sacchun said loudly. Nami's eyebrow twitched.

"Shhhhhhh!" Lloyd hissed.

Joe shrugged. "She is _not! _Mid-twenties at _most._ Anyway, I'm just saying, she's kinda cute! Just kinda. Don't go crazy again."

"Blah." Sacchun stuck out her tongue childishly.

---

Nami tried her best to ignore the 'kids' in front of her. Her eyebrows twitched at every second word that gurl uttered. _Kids are so friggin' annoying._ she thought to herself. _I can't believe I got roped into this teaching job to replace some dumb english teacher... Oh well, suck it up, Nami Linette. If I can prove to be a capable teacher, it'll do wonders for my image._ She looked up at the kids running around the square and resisted the urge to shudder. _If I can survive, that is... Oh goddess, I hate kids..._

Her train of thought was interrupted by the black haired man who sat down next to her.

"Hey Alex..." she said tiredly. Alex Collins ruffled his already messed up black hair and passed her a styrofoam cup of juice.

"...I told you I wasn't thirsty." she said dryly, looking down at the cup. Alex shrugged and drank it himself.

"You haven't been here for a while." he said, not looking at her. "It's pretty interesting to see that Nami Linette is now an English teacher."

"And Physical education." Nami reminded him.

"Ah, right, Manna was teaching both." he nodded.

"...How do you deal with so many kids?!" she blurted out.

Alex smiled warmly. "You just have to remember that at one point, we were 'kids' like them, too."

"Yeah," she scoffed. "I doubt it. My childhood was nothing like this!"

"There are... exceptions." Alex said, taking another gulp from his cup. "But you'd be surprised... Some students here have suffered quite a bit, as well."

"I'm sure." Nami rolled her brown eyes. "Let me guess, their dolly's eye popped out and they had to get it sewed back together? _What _a tragedy."  
Alex smirked. "You'd be surprised..." he repeated.

"Will you stop with the smirking?! I can't stand the way you seem to think you know everything! You were the same back when we were dating!" she snapped.

The doctor looked at her with mild surprise. "Sorry. I didn't expect you to bring that up... you never do."

"Yeah, well..." the red-haired woman trailed off. She looked away. "...our relationship didn't end... optimally."

"...I always liked your hair better when it was messy." he said, ruffling her hair. "Whenever I see you on TV, with your sleek hair and professional suit... I can't help but chuckle a bit."

"Whatever you say..." she yawned.

He nodded. "Nami Linette, I think this will be a good experience for you." he said, eyeing a certain black haired girl as she dragged her boyfriend over to a blanket to sit down with their friends.

---

"Hey, Dia!" Sacchun greeted. Dia gave her a small smile. Kurt sat beside her.

"You okay?" Joe asked her. Dia smiled again and nodded.

Kurt chuckled a bit. "Dia hates cherry blossoms."

"...And I'm... I'm..." she sneezed. "...allergic. To all the pollen in the ah- ah- air..." They all laughed as she held in a sneeze.

"Need another kleenex, Dia?" Kurt asked, taking out a small pack from his pocket.

"Ah- Ah'm fine, Kurt." she sniffed loudly and gave an apologetic smile to the small group. Lloyd looked over her head.

"Sure is taking them a while to get on with the dancing."

Sacchun finished up her cinnamon roll. "I wonder why." She got up to go to the nearest garbage can to throw out her napkin.

Dia sneezed loudly. "I can't... stand... cherry blossoms..."

Sacchun walked over to the nearest garbage can, which was right next to a certain bench that was currently being occupied by a certain news anchor with fiery red hair. Sacchun ignored her as she walked up to the trash can, but saw an arm on her shoulder. She traced the arm to its owner with her eyes and found she couldn't ignore her any longer - Alex, _her _Alex, had his arm around her! Something had to be done. She quickly threw away the napkin and turned to Alex.

"Hiii Alex! Er... _Dr. _Alex" she said with the cutest voice she could summon. Nami's eyebrow twitched.

"Hello, Sasha." he said pleasantly. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Yeah! I didn't know you were married!" she said bluntly. Alex hastily removed his arm from around Nami.

"Married, huh?" he laughed. He turned to Nami. "Do we really look like a married couple?" he asked her sincerely.

"Not at all." she said irritably and honestly.

"Speaking of marriage, did you hear about Michael? I heard he's planning to --" Alex was interrupted.

Sacchun's smile widened. "So she's your girlfriend? You must introduce us!"

"Girlfriend? Haha, no... We are just friends, Sasha. This is Nami Linette. Nami, this is Sasha Yachiko... Otherwise known as Sacchun."

Sacchun let out a fake gasp. "No way! _You're _Nami Linette! I totally didn't recognize you! I guess it's cause you didn't have the thirty pounds of make up, or the ton of hair gel and your contacts and..." she trailed off as Nami shot her down with a glare as cold as the tundra.

"Don't you have to go hang out wirh the rest of your little br- ... friends?" she asked her. Nami had a strong, solid voice, as if she had rehearsed every word in her head before daring to say them.

"Oh, yes! But could I get your autograph first...?" Sacchun asked with fake excitement. "I couldn't walk away from _the _Nami Linette without an autograph! How would I ever live with myself?"

"...Get me a pen and a paper." Nami said through her teeth. _Don't lash out at the brat, Nami, keep it in... I can just see the tabloids now - 'Nami Linette, Vicious Child Abuser'. _

Sacchun produced a pen from her pocket. "It seems I'm out of paper, though! Dr. Alex, do you have any?"

"Sorry Sacchun - I, uh, I didn't know you were such a fan of Nami Linette." he chuckled softly, though he seemed to be studying Sacchun.

She nodded. "Oh yes, she makes the news so ... interesting! Anyway... We can use this, right? You don't need it? Thanks."

"Wh-What are you doing?"

Sacchun cleanly ripped a page out of her book and flipped it over for her to sign. "Just write... 'To Sacchun - That's S - A - C - C - H - U - N - To Sacchun, My #1 Fan, You're the coolest, so keep being cool'. Yes, that sounds just about right." she said with a satisfied smile. Nami's teeth were barred as she scribbled down exactly what Sacchun had dictated word for word. She shoved the paper into her hand aggressively.

"Thankyou, Miss Linette! Or can I call you Nami? Yeah, I'll call you Nami. Well, toodles!" she waved and walked off. She wasn't quite sure what all that was for, but either way, she felt a lot better now.

---

"Five minutes, five minutes..." Liz said nervously. She paced back and forth in front of the girls, who were all standing in a line. Michael Brassen was standing at the back of the tent, shuffling his feet nervously for a reason that had nothing to do with the upcoming dance. Karen's posture was below average. One of her straps was falling off, she was leaning on one leg, and she was rubbing her head wearily.

"My head hurts..." she moaned.

Mary looked at her apprehensively. "Ms. Ellenore..." she said, concerned.

Liz shot her a worried glance. "Karen, honey, we're going to have to worry about that afterwards. We don't have much time before you're on!" While Liz was worried about the health of her daughter's best friend, she didn't want the show to be a disaster - and with only three minutes to go, the dance had become the priority.

"Karen..." Popuri whispered softly. She looked at her friend's tired eyes. "I swear, after this, I'm running an intervention." she said in a sharp whisper into her best friend's ear.

"Not so loud...!" the blonde groaned, pushing Popuri away lightly. Popuri wrapped her arms around Karen and pulled her into a light hug.

"Ouch... yer hurting me!" Karen exaggerated. Popuri smiled and let go of her. Even if Karen was an inconsiderate drunk at times, they _were _best friends and had been since they were little. Popuri wouldn't forget all the times Karen had been there to help her.

Popuri's pink hair always seemed to be an interesting topic of discussion no matter where she went as a child, and it was even worse that her family was the only family who had it, excluding Rick. While there was the occasional kid who thought it was 'cool' or 'cute', almost everyone at Popuri's school made fun of her for it. It was 'different'. It was 'weird'. That was enough to make Popuri one of the most hated girls. Karen was one of the most popular girls then, but she was never one of the stereotypical popular girls that you'd hear about. She reached out to Popuri, and saw that she wasn't as bad as everyone said. Soon, she and Popuri were best friends. This had benefits for her - being best friends with the most one of the most popular girls in school shut people up instantly. If not, Karen made sure of it. Karen was always there for Popuri, and Popuri was always there for Karen. Highschool was easier on Popuri - many people had dyed hair and never bothered her about her's, and she was once again part of the 'popular' clique. She shook her head and returned to the present to see her mom. Liz gulped.

"We're on." she said, her voice brimming with excitement and anticipation. Lead by Erica, the five girls walked out of the tent into the center of the square and were welcomed by several loud cheers. Karen found the sun to be exceptionally strong today. Somewhere behind them, some cheerful instrumental music had started. Erica turned and nodded to the other four girls, who nodded back. Karen rubbed her eyes one last time.

"Okay, girls!" Erica mouthed. They were about to begin the Goddess dance. It started out simple with the music and as the music built up, so did the dance. Karen moved her body rhythmically with the music, trying to clear her mind and focus on matching her moves with the other girls'. This proved to be harder than she thought. She felt dizzy, as if everything around her was doubled. Two of every girl, two of every person in the audience, two of every bright pink cherry tree... and two of Lucy. Karen nearly tripped at the sight of her. She was standing there, her arms crossed. She looked irritated - this caused Karen to worry. Immediately she began stumbling on her moves, but she managed to recover herself. Lucy was clenching something Karen couldn't see. She tried to keep her mind on the dance but her eyes kept straying to the violet-haired girl.

Suddenly, she felt like someone had jabbed a frying pan through her head. She felt a sharp pain in her head and wanted to swing around to hit whatever hit her. Instead she yelled and clutched her head, a string of curse words straying from her mouth. She heard everyone gasp and start muttering, with the music still blaringly cheerfully in the background. She tripped over her sandals and grabbed on to whatever was closest - which was, in this case, Amber's long red braid. Amber shrieked in pain as she slipped and fell to the ground with a loud crash. Her leg tripped Popuri, who screamed and accidentally kicked Mary, who gasped and tripped. The four of them lay in a crumpled pile, tangled up. Karen groaned and tried to lift her hand, which was lying underneath someone's leg. Karen lifted her head off the ground enough so that she could puke, before letting her head fall to the ground again.

Immediately people began to panic. They heard someone yell, "Stop the music!" and the music was stopped a few seconds later.

"Oh my Goddess... Ugh, this is terrible..." they heard Liz sob. Karen felt Dr. Alex lift her head softly off the ground and vaguely saw the figure of a woman with short red hair. A blank pant leg entered her view, and she looked up to see Lucy's cold face staring at her. Alex got up to go talk to Liz. Lucy stared down at her and whipped a small bottle of Tylenol at her.

"Pathetic..." she muttered. She put her hand to her face and shook her head. "You owe me."

And with that, she walked away from Karen.

---

"Jeez, what the heck?!" Kurt grunted as someone pushed him. "Why is everyone panicking?!"

Dia coughed. "Looks like the dance was a dud..."

"I really wanted you to see it, too..." Kurt groaned.

"It's okay, Kurt." she told him. "There's always next.. y-... yea...ACHOO!"

Kurt looked around. "I wonder if the dance is still on..."

"Agh, move!" they heard a familiar voice exclaim. Sacchun shoved her way over to them, followed by Joe and Lloyd.

"Guess it's caused a panic, huh?" Lloyd said.

"What happened, anyway? We didn't see." Kurt asked.

Lloyd and Joe exchanged thoughtful looks. "Karen ruined the whole thing..."

"She was most likely drunk." Joe said.

Lloyd continued, "...and she basically went down and dragged everyone with her. Literally."

"This is the first time this has happened..." Sacchun remarked. "Way to kill a tradition, Karen." She glanced at the crowd and saw Nami standing with her arms crossed, looking indifferent at the events around her. This seemed to irritate Sacchun, but she didn't have time to dwell on it.

"Attention!!! Everyone! Please, settle down!" they heard Liz's voice call out to the crowd, magnified. She was standing on top of a table with a megaphone to her mouth - she looked tearful.

"Please!" she yelled. "THERE IS NO NEED TO PANIC! THEY ARE GOING TO BE OKAY."

Gradually the crowd stopped and stared at Liz. She waved frantically.

"Okay... Now, as you all _obviously _saw, the dance was a bit of a..." she breathed in deeply, as if resisting to dissolve into tears. "... a bit of a _flop._"

"She chooses her words wisely, that one." Dia sniffed.

"Um... but I hear we have a very important and happy message from Michael... Michael Brassen! So, he's just gonna come up here and deliver whatever message he had to deliver! Hahaha!" she sounded a bit hysterical at this point. She jumped off the table and crossed Mr. Brassen.

"What are you announcing?" she whispered in his ear.

He smiled nervously. "You'll see."

He got up and held up the megaphone. "Hello - Whoa, that's loud. Hello, everyone. Uh... I'm Michael Brassen, but you knew that already... haha..." he chuckled nervously and wiped his forehead.

"What's up with him?" Kurt asked. Sacchun noticed that there was a red-haired girl behind him - Ann. She was staring up at him, looking anxious about something.

"Well... Uh..." he stared out at everyone and gulped - his gulp was ten times louder since it was heard through the megaphone.

"That's one strong megaphone." Lloyd muttered.

Mr. Brassen shuffled his feet. "I ... I just wanted to announce that..."

"NINJAS RULE!"

Everyone turned their heads towards the back of the crowd to find whoever yelled that out. Joe turned around and snickered innocently.

"Joe... Behave." Sacchun flicked him playfully, though she was evidently amused.

"Yes ma'am." he laughed.

Mr. Brassen smiled wryly. "So ... yes, anyway... This is the Spring Goddess festival." he stated.

Someone in the crowd coughed.

"...And... well... This is the festival where we honour the Goddess who blessed our lands... So I think it's rather appropriate, because today, of all days, she's watching over us all. Which means she can bear witness to ... what I'm about to announce." he looked fondly at Liz and breathed in deeply.

"... In front of all of you, and in front of the Goddess herself, I want to ask a very special question that only one person in the whole world can answer. This person has changed my life dramatically, and... I'm confident when I say that It's been for the better. I just wanted to share this special moment with all of you... and I hope that I can change her's in the same way she's done for me. So, without further hesitation, I want to ask a life-changing question... Liz Ellenore..." he paused. Liz had her hands to her mouth and her eyes were wide and tearing - which was interesting for Liz, since half the time it looked like her eyes were closed. He stretched a hand out and she grabbed it, lifting herself onto the table with him.

He produced a Blue Feather from his pocket, the bottom of it tied with a small white ribbon. "...Will you marry me?"

The entire crowd erupted into cheers so loud that Liz's "Yes! Dear goddess, yes!" was practically inaudible.

"That was... unexpected." Kurt stared blankly.

"How romantic..." Sacchun said uncertainly. "I think."

Joe grinned sheepishly. "I feel bad for shouting out that Ninja thing now..."

Lloyd punched him playfully in the arm. "I guess he had that planned for a while... but with Karen messing up the dance and all, the moment was kinda ruined..."

"It's all worked out now! We should go see Ann and congratulate her!" Sacchun suggested. They nodded and worked their way through the crowd. It seemed as if people who didn't even know Mr. Brassen or Liz were yelling and jumping for joy. Even tourists who had no idea what was going on were excited.

"Hey, a party's a party." Joe remarked. They made it to the center of the square where Mr. Brassen and Liz were standing together, surrounded by tons of close friends and family, all congratulating them. Popuri was in the tent being treated, however, for she had scraped her knee. Nina was sitting on the table which Michael had proposed on, swinging her feet and looking sour. Rick was laughing and smiling along with the rest of them. Ann stood outside the crowd, beaming.

"Hey! Annerz!" Sacchun called.

Ann blinked and looked at the group. "Hey guys!" she waved. They walked up to her.

"Congratulations!" Lloyd said, giving her a hug.

Joe grinned. "Whoa, you have like, two more sisters and a brother now ... weird. But yeah, congrats, Ann."

"That's really cool! I had no idea Mr. Brassen was planning on proposing..." Kurt said with amazement.

"I'm sure you're happy." Dia added.

"Yes, I am." Ann grinned. "I knew he was going to do this, but still, you get caught up in the moment and ... well, I'm happy. It's going to be one heck of a wedding!" she laughed.

"Guess you're going to have a lot of planning to do." Lloyd said.

"Yes."

Sacchun pointed to the table. "We're gonna go congratulate Nina, then your parents."

They walked over to the table and saw Nina looking rather bitter. She was talking to Mia, and by the looks of it, Mia was congratulating her as well, and she didn't seem too happy about it.

Kurt waved. "Hey, Mia."

"Hello there." she replied politely.

"Nina! Aren't you excited?" Lloyd asked.

"Absolutely." she deadpanned.

Sacchun blinked a few times in confusion. "Well, uh, it should be cool having a dad now, huh? Well not a _dad _, but a father figure kinda person, right?"

"Yeah, very cool."

Joe grinned. "That was one heck of a proposal though, huh?"

Nina glanced at him uncertainly. "Proposing right after a disaster of a dance which included several injuries and someone vomiting. Classy."

"...At least it was untraditional..." Mia said with a sympathetic smile. "It was," she paused. "Interesting."

"Lots of traditions are being killed today, huh?" Sacchun laughed.

"I'm going to go..." Mia gulped. "Congratulate Ann. I'll ... I'll see you guys later." she waved and sprinted off to the other side of the crowd.

Dia watched her run off. "Is it just me, or did Mia look like she was red in the cheeks...?"

---

"Hi." Mia blurted out, gasping for air. It may have been a short run, but the prospect of talking to Ann after so long tired Mia out. _Okay, Mia, you said 'Hi'. Good start. There's no backing out of it now._

"Hi." Ann replied. They stared at each other for a moment.

"So, congratulations! I mean, with your father getting married and all and you being part of a new, bigger family and it must be a great feeling and I know it's been a while since we last spoke but I figured this would be a good time to talk again and I feel really bad about it but I was just a bit jumbled up inside about stuff that's not important and now I'm here and that was just a very long run on sentence and I'm sorry." Mia said in one breath.

Ann blinked.

"Yeah." was her reply.

_I'm making a fool out of myself. _Mia thought.

"So, um -" Ann started. Mia interrupted her.

"I know what it feels like, to only grow up with one parent... It's tough, y'know? Not everyone is fortunate like your dad to find someone else who is willing to marry them. It's hard on the children, of course, but I would almost think of it as a blessing, to be given a second chance at a family."

"...Yeah." Ann blinked again. "So... Are we on talking terms again?" she asked uncertainly. Mia inhaled.

"Yes. We are. I'm really ... sorry." she sighed.

Ann was only thinking of one thing. _I kissed her. That's why she avoided me. Now she's acting like nothing happened. _She felt like the kiss had screwed everything up.

"You don't need to be sorry, but ... er, If I may ask... why _were _you avoiding me?" Ann had to ask.

Mia's expression went blank. "I... well.. I was confused about... some... things." she stuttered.

"Some things? Like what?" Ann asked, knowing the answer all too well. _You're not the only one, Mia._

Mia shook her head. "Nothing important."

"Really? I mean, it's been a good few months since -"

"It's nothing, Ann, really. Just drop it." her tone was sharper than she meant to sound.

"O - Okay. I was just curious..."

Mia sighed. "You have every right to be ... but it's not something I really want to talk about and... you can respect that right?"

Ann felt frustrated. _But I need to talk about it... we need to talk about it! _

"I can respect that." she said softly.

"Thanks."

There seemed to be a lull in the congratulations around Liz and Michael, so Liz got back onto the table and grabbed the megaphone from Nina, who was playing with it.

"Um..." she said uncertainly. Unlike the previous time, almost everyone's attention snapped towards Liz immediately.

"I'd just like to say that... Since this festival has taken a joyous turn since the ... the, well, _flop._" she still sounded hurt that the dance was a disaster. "I suggest we continue the festivities... and uh, turn the music back on, and let the traditional dancing begin! So... girls, find your man, and let's begin!"

Sacchun looked around. Carl was no where to be seen, nor was Katie. Lloyd decided to stay out of it.

"Aw come on Lloyd, this'll be fun!" Sacchun said.

Kurt was dancing with Dia. Joe snickered. "Nice dance moves, bro."

"Shut up." Kurt grinned. Dia laughed.

Joe stood there, looking for Katie. She wasn't anywhere near them. Sacchun was looking for Carl, too. Everyone around them, excluding Lloyd, had a partner and was dancing.

Sacchun glanced uncertainly at Joe. _No, no, I can't dance with him..._

Joe pretended to ignore Sacchun. _Crap, what if she asks me...?_

They both turned around at the same time. "So -" they both said in unison, before laughing.

"You first." Joe said.

"Nah, you first." Sacchun stuck out her tongue.

"Ladies always go first."

"Exactly." she teased.

"Har, har."

"Anyway, rather than standing around looking like losers like Lloyd, wanna ... dance?" she asked innocently.

"Sure... B-But this is just a 'friendly' dance, right?" he asked cautiously.

Sacchun nodded. "Yeah, just as friends... Hehe." she giggled and the two of them started dancing.

Ann looked around wildly as everyone began dancing. There wasn't a free guy in sight. Mia, however, was staring at Ann.

_"_So... girls, find your man, and let's begin!" Liz had said.

_Find your man, huh? _Mia thought, her eyebrows raised. _...I'm feeling a little rebellious, truth be told. Breaking one more tradition today can't hurt. _

She looked up at Ann.

Ann was shuffling her feet, looking frantically for a guy, before one of them suggested what she feared.

"Ann..." Mia said slowly. _I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe I'm about to do this. But seriously, If I don't, the moment will be gone... I can solve this all now, right now, If I just ask..._

_"_A-Ann, do you want to ... dance?" she asked, holding her hand out to the redhead.

Said redhead froze. _...She asked._

"Uh... er..." she stammered.

Mia's hand drooped a bit. "I mean, I'm just saying - there aren't any other guys and, uh... It's just a dance... I mean..." her voice seemed to diminish as she stared at Ann, who seemed to be trembling.

She looked up, her eyes burning with both tears and anger.

"I WAS DRUNK, OKAY?!" she yelled. No one seemed to pay much attention to her. Mia stepped back.

"Wh-What...?"

"I ONLY KISSED YOU BECAUSE I WAS DRUNK. I. WAS. DRUNK. THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE. I DON'T _LIKE _YOU! I'M NOT... I'M NOT INTO _GIRLS, _OKAY?! LEAVE ME ALONE, AND STOP LOOKING INTO SOMETHING THAT _DOESN'T EXIST!" _she screamed in her face. She smacked her hand away and walked off. Mia stared at her back, uncertain of what to do. She felt like falling to her knees and crying. And that's just what she did.

"Why...? Why, Ann...? I just... You have no idea..." she hiccupped. "I... I don't ... It's not..." she couldn't string her words together, and proceeded to sob in the middle of all the couples dancing around, paying no attention to her. She was sure she didn't like girls either - so why did she feel like a small portion of her heart had just been broken?

---

Sacchun tossed her jacket aside and stretched, back in the comfort of her home. Meg wasn't home yet, surprisingly.

_That was fun..._ she thought as she yawned. It had been a long day, but there were many high points of it. Dancing with Joe was the best part though - he was such a goof sometimes. Sacchun had missed being around him. He eventually found Katie, who was rather steamed at him, and he was dragged off, so Sacchun was left to spend the rest of the festival begging Lloyd to dance with her so she wouldn't look like a loser.

_But Overall - It was fun. I good... distraction. It's the first time in a while I haven't been focused on my... problems. _She peeled open a banana and started eating it. She walked over to her answering machine, which was beeping.

"Probably another darn telemarketer... _How _they get the numbers of students, I have no idea, but..." she paused as a terrifyingly familiar voice came on the machine.

_"...So be sure to see us at the airport at around five next Friday! Have a good weekend, dear." _the message concluded.

_M-Mom?! _she stared at the answering machine with wide eyes. _She's coming?! This friday?! _she felt her stomach turn to ice. This was way sooner than she expected. This was worse than bad - it was _terrible. _Almost instantly, as if the festival had never happened, all the worries and stress that had occupied Sacchun's mind as of late returned. She stood for a good few minutes, staring at the answering macine.

_I need to find someone..._ she thought, after recovering slightly. _And soon. But who...? I mean, who else would... Not Carl, he definitely wouldn't be able to pull it off... _she paused. The first image that came into her mind was Joe dancing like an idiot only a few hours ago.

_Joe... _she thought. _He'll be perfect... I think._

She took in a deep breath and pressed a button on the answering machine.

The machine's mechanical voice said, "_Message deleted.", _and Sacchun finished her banana, sat down, and prayed that she'd survive the next couple of weeks without wanting to strangle herself.


	36. Behind the Mask

**// Author's Note: **Chapter 35! It's average-length, not super long or anything. Even though it's not one of the huge chapters, trust me, this chapter _is _important, it's _NOT _filler at all. It introduces a _very _important character and elaborates on another _very _important character. It's not meant to be a very humorous chapter, but a more plot-oriented one. Thank you all for the lots of reviews! I don't say this often enough, but I really appreciate them! Anyway, now to respond to some reactions I've had lately...

Meg! I know, you all want more Meg. But don't worry, she's not forgotten. It's just very hard to place her in when there are a bunch of other storylines going on. They're currently more important than hers, so once there's a bit less going on, Meg's going to have her time in the spotlight again. I'm sorry about this, but sometimes you have to make these changes to write a good story. So I'm going to have to ask you all to be patient, but I promise that once I do get around to Meg's part, It should satisfy you and answer all the questions that have been popping up.

I know a few of you are also uncomfortable with the idea of Ann and Mia, but what can I say? These kinds of things _do _happen in real life and (especially) in High School, and I think they're important things to address. It's normal, though. Please look beyond the fact that they're both girls and consider how they must be feeling at this point. Sexuality can be a big issue for high school kids, and as humorous or surreal I make some parts of HH, there will always be some form of realism to it, so I'm going to have to politely ask you all to get over it XD. If it really bothers you that much, then I'm not going to hate you for not reading my fanfic anymore, but I just don't think it really _should _bother anyone that much. Just keep in mind that there is little difference between being homophobic and being racist. It's all prejudice, just in different forms. But prejudice in any form is bad, just because it's not racism doesn't mean it's Ok.

Okay, that was a lengthy rant! Enjoy the plot-heavy chapter! **End Author's Note //**

**Character Notes:**

Lyla Hartley. She's a lot older than the other students at Flowerbud High, but like I said before, I made some of the characters older (Alex, Basil, Gina, etc.) just because it seemed to fit better.

Chapter 35: Behind the Mask

It was the following Monday, and Nami Linette pushed open the doors to enter the school. It was too early for any of the students to be there. She was about to begin her first day at Flowerbud High as an English teacher. She didn't bother slicking her hair back like she did when she was a news anchor, and just settled for combing it before coming in. She carried her bag in her hand and walked through the school into the staff room. It was oddly empty. She knew she was supposed to meet the principal in here, but she wasn't sure when he would arrive, and expected to see a few teachers there already.

_Ugh... How could he be late? I'm hating this school already... _she promptly decided that this job wasn't going to be a good experience at all. _Dealing with teaching, correcting homework, irresponsible teachers, and - worst of all - annoying brats that look like circus runaways. This was going to be fun._ She yawned, wondering which desk was her's. Spotting an empty desk, she assumed that was her's. Walking over to the desk, she put her bag down on the chair, when she heard the door close behind her.

"Excellent! You're here, and on time!" came a confident, yet overly cheerful voice behind her. Nami swung around and saw a girl with disgustingly pink hair and two braids on each side of her face held together by golden flowers, standing in front of the now closed door.

The girl walked over and extended her hand to Nami. Nami eyed it uncertainly. "Who are you, exactly? Students aren't allowed in here."

She smiled, tilting her head to the side. "Student...? Oh, no, I'm not a _student!_" she said sweetly. Something about her voice scared Nami - as sweet as it was, it was a solid voice made up of strength and experience.

"Oh, really?" Nami sighed. "How old are you? Sixteen? Seventeen?" _Friggin' kids... _

She let out a fluttery laugh. "...You assume entirely too much, Ms. Linette. We're talking 'late twenties', here."

Nami blanched. She wasn't surprised to hear a complete stranger call her by her name - that was normal when you're a celebrity. What shocked her most was what she had said. "...Late twenties...?" _She's older than me...?_ "Wait... Don't tell me _you're _the principal."

Her smile widened. "No," she said simply. "...The principal will not be meeting you today."

Nami's eyebrow twitched. "He won't? We had a meeting scheduled for... _right now._" she said, checking her watch. The girl only nodded.

"I'll be meeting you in his place..."

Her pink hair seemed to annoy Nami greatly, but she restrained herself from saying anything. "In his place...? I see. And if I may be so forward, _who exactly are you?"_ she smiled almost sarcastically at the girl, who extended her hand once again. Nami shook it, then gasped. Her hand wrapped around Nami's and held it very tightly, to the point that it hurt Nami.

"Lyla. Lyla Hartley. Trust me... Right now, you're talking to the _real _principal of Flowerbud High." her honey-coated voice seemed to be tinted with something different now, something Nami just couldn't put her finger on.

"A pleasure..." she squeaked, trying to free her hand from Lyla's grip. Lyla let go and smiled widely again. Feeling more confident now that her hand wasn't about to be ripped off, Nami continued boldly, "...And what exactly do you _mean_, the _real _principal?

Lyla laughed her trademark silvery laugh. She seemed to have a permanent smile plastered on her face, though Nami questioned its sincerity.

"...Theodore may be considered the 'Principal', but that is simply a title. Who do you think controls everything behind the scenes? Who tells him what to do, organises all the events, _runs the school_?" her smile grew, if it was possible, even wider. "You're talking to her right now, Ms. Linette."

Nami's mouth was left open slightly. She didn't exactly understand what she was hearing. "So... Mr. Wallace is just a front of some sort? He's not _really _the principal?"

Lyla turned around, and Nami had to deal with staring at her revolting pink hair. "You didn't really think that this school could keep running so smoothly with _that _idiot in charge. This might sound a tad cynical," she paused. "...But he is no more than a puppet to me!"

Her last words left a chill to crawl down Nami's spine. She shook her head and tried to make sense of this. She wasn't usually shocked into silence by anyone, and tried to regain some of her usual confidence. "Wait, wait. You really expect me to believe all this? This ridiculous story that Theodore Wallace is just up there, posing as principal, while you do all the work from the shadows or something?!"

Lyla turned around again, her smile in place as usual and said, pleasantly, "I don't see what's so hard to believe about that, Ms. Linette."

"It sounds like some kind of... plot! This isn't a TV drama series or some weird novel! Please tell me this is some sort of joke you greet all the new teachers with..." Nami tried to sound as if she was not fazed by this piece of information, but the shakiness of her voice was obvious. Lyla, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying this.

"I think you're being a _bit _overdramatic, Ms. Linette. I make all the decisions, and Theodore carries them out... I don't see anything _wrong _with it." she batted her eyelashes. Lyla reminded Nami of a twisted puppeteer pulling the strings attached to a dancing Theodore. She wasn't sure why, but the whole set-up made her feel very uneasy.

"So this is... normal?"

"Absolutely."

"Does the rest of the staff know?"

Lyla paused, her smile faded a bit, but was still plastered across her face. Nami's sense of uneasiness grew.

"They... do not." Lyla said. Now Nami was really beginning to feel uneasy.

"Why not...?" her uneasiness was creeping into her voice.

Lyla's smile widened again. "It makes it easier to make decisions this way. You see... if I want to make a decision for the school that sounds ridiculous but would ultimately help in the long run... People would find it oddly suspicious of me. When it's coming from an oaf like Theodore, no one questions it. They all think that _they're _the ones pulling the strings around Theodore. The rest of the staff believes that if they tried, they could control Theodore. None of them have actually tried, of course - but this way I can make decisions without anyone questioning them. If they a more competent leader... I'm sure they'd be much more critical on their decisions." she said without even taking a breath. Her words were leaking with sweetness, yet her tone was one that Nami would never challenge. Lyla knew what she was doing.

"I see..." Nami looked down. Flowerbud High was more complex than she thought. She knew there was no harm behind this, and that Lyla's intent was good, but she couldn't quell the growing feeling of uneasiness inside her. "But wait -" she said, suddenly.

"Hm?"

"Why are you telling me, then?" Nami's voice regained a bit of her diminished confidence.

Lyla walked towards her and put a hand on her shoulder. Once again, her grip cut into her shoulder painfully.

"I'm sure you've figured out by now that your invitation to Flowerbud High was made by me, and not Theodore..."

"I ... I realised, yes." Nami grunted in reply.

"You're very intelligent, Ms. Linette," Lyla told her. Her voice was so honey-coated, Nami couldn't tell if she was mocking her or not. "I think we're going to be good friends. Allies, united by the sacred bond of sharing the knowledge of my little secret."

"I see...? That doesn't quite answer my question, however..." Nami's eyebrow twitched with pain as her hand continued to dig into her shoulder.

Lyla paused and scanned her for a minute. Her eyes stared into Nami's unblinkingly. To Nami's relief, she took her hand off. Nami resisted rubbing her shoulders and stared back into Lyla's eyes.

"Oh, Nami..." she smiled. Nami wondered why she decided to call her by her first name this time. Lyla opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted as the door opened. They both turned around to see Alex opening the door with his familiar messy black hair. He stared for a moment, then entered the staff room.

"Hello, Mr. Collins." Lyla said sweetly. He smiled and nodded at her.

"I didn't know you'd be here so early, Nami... Er, Ms. Linette." he looked at Lyla with those last words.

"Oh, It's okay, sir!" Lyla said cheerfully. Nami stared at her incredulously. _'Mr. Collins'? 'Sir'? Why was she talking to him as if she was a student?_

Alex smiled. "Anyway, Ms. Linette, I was just coming to meet you here."

"I see." Nami said slowly. She was staring into Alex's eyes and felt a lot more secure all of a sudden.

He closed the door behind him. "Sorry about interrupting like that, Ly--" he stopped, staring at where Lyla was a moment ago. Nami looked around wildly - she was no where to be seen.

"What the...?!" she exclaimed. Alex walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder - his gentle, warm touch made her flinch, as it was the same shoulder Lyla had previously killed with her grip.

"She must have had somewhere she had to be," Alex remarked. "She's a very busy student."

"Yeah...Wait." Nami turned to look at him. "Student?! What do you mean, 'Student'?!" she asked incredulously.

Alex cocked an eyebrow. "...Huh? Lyla Hartley. She's one of the top students at Flowerbud High. She's head of student council, organizes tons of events, she's the heart and soul of the student body. I'm not surprised she was in a hurry..."

Nami opened her mouth to say something. '_She's NOT a student! She's so much more!' _she wanted to say, but after considering it, she closed her mouth. "I see." she said softly. _Was Lyla just trying to mess with me...? Or is it as she said, that no one else knows about her...? She can certainly pass off as a student, that's for sure._

"Should I show you around the school...?" Alex offered. Nami would've declined normally, but seeing as she was too busy thinking about her encounter with Lyla, she didn't pay much attention and went along with him. Alex showed her all around the first floor, showing her where her classroom was, and where the Lunch Dome was. She entered the brightly lit cafeteria and saw a few students who had come in early. They were finishing homework, listening to music, or just hanging around at the tables. She stared at the beautiful sky that was clearly visible through the glass of the Lunch Dome, and decided that this would be one of her favorite places in the school if there were no students whatsoever. Alex lead her out from the Lunch Dome and they took a stroll across the sports fields, giving Nami a lot of time to think while absorbing the April sunlight. Alex continued to talk about the school and all the different areas and activities, but Nami didn't seem to take in one word of what he was saying.

Being out on the fields, breathing in fresh air, Nami reflected on her conversation with Lyla. _She must have just been messing with me... Y'know, there's a new teacher, let's mess with her. That kind of thing. It was probably nothing... _she let out a small laugh. She couldn't believe she had actually fell for Lyla's little game!

_Jeez, those freakin' kids... _

---

Lyla knocked and hummed a jaunty tune while waiting for the door to open. It did not. Instead, a muffled voice said, "Come in." And she did.

Stepping into Principal Theodore's office, she closed the door behind her and walked serenely over to his desk. His office included a desk, a large window behind it, and several framed pictures. One was of him, his wife, and a young Mia. Another was of a pancake wearing shades and driving a car. He seemed to like the latter more, as it was in a bigger, fancier frame than the one of his family.

"So did you meet the new teacher, Lyla?"

"Yes, I did! She's _very _nice." Lyla said with her permanent smile back in place. Theodore seemed happy.

"Send her a congratulatory basket of waffles or something! I want her to feel at home, here at Flowerbud High."

Lyla stared at him... then her smile widened. "I will do my best to make sure she feels... at home." she nodded. "...And sir, you _do _know that she is Nami Linette, the news anchor from FBTV, right?"

Soon enough, Theodore would pick up on the not-so-subtle hint and...

"Lyla! I just had a great idea! You know she's the news anchor from FBTV, right? Well I'm sure she has _connections!"_

The pink haired girl smiled encouragingly at Theodore. "Yes! I'm sure she does, excellent thinking, sir! Maybe we can use her connections to help the school. We could get a TV crew down here or something."

"...Lyla! I just had a terrific idea! We could get a TV crew down here to film one of Flowerbud High's big events that you plan!"

Lyla clapped enthusiastically. "Yes, yes! Good thinking, sir, I knew you'd have great ideas."

"Of course..." he spun around in his large chair. "I think _you _should talk to her about it. I don't know when I'd have time with my busy schedule..."

She nodded. "Just what I was thinking, sir! We all know you have a lot of work to do." This, of course, was complete and utter bullcrap.

"Excellent, excellent! Well, enjoy the rest of your day, Lyla." he said, making it clear that she was dismissed.

"I will, sir." she turned to leave. _You make things entirely too easy, Theodore. _she thought, as she opened the door and exited the office.

_My mask is off now... and the real fun is about to begin. _


	37. A Day in the life of Sacchun

**// Author's Note: **Wow! Thanks for all the reviews, as usual. They really motivate me! So this chapter kicks off a story arc that will last for about three chapters. And... they're all focused on Sacchun! There will be some small parts that focus on other characters, as usual, which are also important, but hopefully you'll enjoy this three-part arc. Keep in mind that this takes place on the same day as Ch. 35! And of course, sorry for the lateness. Hopefully the length will make up for it though. I'm done school and done exams, so I'll be writing a lot more now! I realise Nami's character is a bit... strong, in this chapter, but she's meant to be that kind of character. Not necessarily one that you'd _like, _but she has her reasons for being how she is. Anyway, I'll stop rambling, So enjoy this chapter, Sacchun-fans! **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 36: A Day in the life of Sacchun

Even for the school's most energetic girl, Monday mornings were tiring. Sacchun walked to school, her black hair in two traditional pigtails. They bobbed up and down slowly as she calmly made her way to Flowerbud High. She wasn't sure if Meg had even come home last night - all she knew was that when she went to sleep, she wasn't there, and when she woke up, she _still _wasn't there. Though normally this would really bother her, she had something else on her mind, something that had to be resolved before she could focus on Meg. Her parents would be coming down to visit. This Friday. This meant many things, but the first thing she had to do was find Joe -- who was, incidentally, running up to her at that very moment.

"SACCHUN!" he exclaimed as he pounced towards her. She ducked and Joe flew over her and down onto the pavement. As if unable to absorb physical damage, Joe got up and grinned. "Hiya."

"Heeey." she smiled back.

Joe put his hands behind his head and continued walking beside her. "Aww, you didn't even get scared."

"That's 'cause you couldn't even scare a kitten!" Sacchun laughed. "Besides, you do this all the time. It's become part of my walking-to-school routine."

"Heheh, yeah."

Sacchun stopped. "So where's Lloyd? He's usually --"

"...right behind you. Usually. Except when you decide to speed off in the middle of a conversation to go jump on Sacchun!" said an out of breath Lloyd, standing right behind them.

Joe shrugged and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yyyyeah. Sorry 'bout that."

Lloyd grumbled. "That's what you _always _say... Hey, uh, where's Meg?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Sacchun shrugged.

"Did you see her before you left?" asked Joe.

The black-haired girl shook her head. "Nope. I didn't see her last night. In fact, I didn't see her at all yesterday. Aw heck, I can't even remember the last time I _did _see her!"

"Weird." Joe and Lloyd said in unison.

"Yeah..." Sacchun softly said. "She hasn't even been practicing her violin or studying or doing any of the other Meggy things that Meg usually does. It's sad!"

Lloyd sighed. "Maybe we'll see her in class today..."

They continued their walk in conversation about the day, which was to be pretty exciting. In Math, they were getting back a test they had done last week - but that wasn't _nearly_ as exciting as the fact that today would be the first day with their newest substitute, Nami Linette. They had English right after Math, and then last period they had Gym, again with Nami. Joe was excited, because according to him, Nami was 'hot'. Sacchun poked him sharply in the forehead after hearing him say this for the fifth time. Lloyd wasn't sure what to make of their new substitute, and decided he'd make his judgement only after their class. They walked up to the front doors, where said substitute was standing, talking with Alex.

"Hello." Alex greeted, waving at the trio. Nami simply stared at them, her eyebrow twitching at the sight of Sacchun. Alex's warm voice and Nami's cold glare was enough to make Sacchun squeal softly and Joe drool slightly.

"Hiya, sir!" Sacchun said enthusiastically. He grinned and gestured to Nami beside him.

"You remember Nami - er, Ms. Linette, right? From the festival?"

She nodded. "Yup! How could I forget someone like Nami Linette?"

Nami blinked and chose to say nothing.

"Today's going to be your first day with her as a teacher. She's amazing at poetry and writing, you know. Manna didn't just pick her name out of a hat!" Alex said.

"Though, since it's Manna, I wouldn't be surprised if she did just that." Lloyd muttered.

Nami swallowed all the nasty words she wanted to say. "Y-Yes. Today's going to be lots of fun!" she said with fake enthusiasm.

"I can hardly wait!" said Sacchun eagerly. The red-haired teacher's eyebrow twitched yet again. Sacchun was quickly making her way over to Nami's bad side. Alex, being one of the more perceptive members of the staff, quickly said, "Sasha, you all had better get inside. Your first class will be beginning soon."

"Math..." Joe groaned. They opened the doors and walked in, heading for their lockers. A lot of students were hanging out in the lobby before classes. They passed by Ellen, who was chatting away to Rick. Lloyd found it odd that Ellen was completely ignoring him, but not as odd as the next group they passed. Dan and Kai were sitting on the bottom steps of the stairs, with Karen, Popuri, and several other members of their clique. Karen turned around right as Lloyd was staring at her, and the two locked eyes. Knowing she couldn't really avoid him, Karen settled for a timid wave. Lloyd lifted his hand to wave back, but it fell limply to his side a second later. While Karen's back was turned, Dan, behind her, was giving Lloyd the dirtiest look imaginable. He glared threateningly and Lloyd's eyes went wide.

He quickened his pace and Sacchun and Joe followed.

"What was that all about?" Sacchun asked.

Joe shook his head thoughtfully. "I get the feeling Dan doesn't like all the time you've been spending with his girlfriend."

"What... but... Do you think he knows about the Valentines Day thing?" Lloyd stammered. His two friends looked at him.

"What Valentines thing...?" Sacchun looked between the two boys inquisitively.

"Nothing, I'll tell you later, Sacchun." Joe said. Lloyd ruffled his own hair.

"I... But, no one else knows! Besides me, Karen and Gwen."

His friend scratched the back of his head. "Unless Dan, or someone else from Flowerbud, was in the theater and saw you?"

"That's possible... Oh, this is just great! He thinks I'm trying to steal his girlfriend now!"

Sacchun tried to make sense of what they were talking about. "Uh, still confused here..."

"In a nutshell, Lloyd stupidly --"

"Hey!"

" -- I stand by my statement. Lloyd _stupidly _agreed to go to the movies with both Gwen _and _Karen and they had a fight and now neither of them are talking to him and Karen did this behind Dan's back and now we better get to writing his eulogy." Joe explained.

Sacchun blinked. "That's, uh -"

"Complicated, I know." Lloyd sighed.

---

Mr. Brassen, though being in a significantly better mood than usual, still seemed to be able to drone on about numbers and variables and other things the students didn't really want to hear about. To their surprise, Meg was present at her desk, even though she had not been to Math class for a while. She mumbled something about not feeling well to Mr. Brassen, and from the look on his face, he did not believe her, but didn't pursue the topic. So Meg was there with her head on the desk, breathing in and out slowly. She was asleep.

"_Meeeeg._" Sacchun hissed from behind her. "Wakey, wakey!" She glanced at Joe, who crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it at her while Mr. Brassen was writing on the board.

"Unh..." she grunted. Everyone turned around and stared at her, and Joe looked away innocently.

Mr. Brassen went back to his desk. "Anyway, I corrected your tests from last week and... not many of you did well, I'm sorry to say." he got up again with a pile of papers in his hand and began passing them out.

"Good work, Mary! As usual, you and Rick have the highest scores." he said happily, passing out their respective tests. The two students grinned and high-fived each other. Mr. Brassen walked over to Sacchun's desk and she innocently whistled the Super Mario Bros. tune.

"Sacchun..." he said slowly, flipping through his papers.

"I know I did badly, so--"

"Very good! I was pleasantly surprised while correcting your test. I'm glad to see you've been paying attention in class!" Mr. Brassen said pleasantly, giving her her test with a neat, circled 92 on it. Sacchun stared at the paper for a second, her eyes moving from her mark to the top of her paper. It was her name there, not someone else's.

"Lloyd," Mr. Brassen continued going around the class. "Just barely made it. Try harder next time, okay?" he said, giving Lloyd his test.

"Aw... 65." Lloyd said, sounding disappointed but not entirely surprised. Math was not one of his strengths.

Mr. Brassen moved to Joe's desk right after and flipped through his papers, finally finding his test. "And Mr. Daggett... Another fail. I'd suggest getting a tutor or some extra help if you expect to pass this year's math exam." he said sternly, giving Joe his test. He got a 57.

"Aw, sir! I was so close! Couldn't you have given me a little boost?" Joe pleaded.

"No." he shook his head. "Though I can give you some extra help outside of class, if you want it."

Joe shoved the test into his binder and continued to grumble. Meg's desk was next. Mr. Brassen found her paper and approached her, looking very disappointed.

"Meghan, I have to say, I did not expect this from you at all." he said, shaking his head while looking over her test. Meg continued to snooze on her desk.

"Meghan...? Meg. Meg!!" he began shaking her arm. She growled loudly and Mr. Brassen withdrew his hand. "Meg...? Wake up!"

"Meg!!" Kurt exclaimed from the desk in front of her. "Wake up!"

As if by the sound of Kurt's voice alone, Meg lifted her head and tiredly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Mr. Brassen's upset face. Then the paper in his hand. Then the big, red, 46 circled on it. She blinked a few times until she fully understood the situation. Her eyes were bloodshot. Everyone else's eyes were on her.

"Huh...? I... what..?" she stammered. She took the test from him and stared down at it, her long blonde bangs hiding her face from view. Mr. Brassen continued to hand out the tests, so the rest of the class turned away from Meg. When he finished, he returned to his desk and was about to pick out another problem for them to do, when the bell rang.

"Phew...!" Joe sighed happily. "No more math for the day!!"

"Yeah but, don't forget, stupid, we still have the rest of the day's classes to go through!" Sacchun reminded him, playfully hitting him on the head. Meg was getting up very slowly, and the trio decided it would be best to confront her now.

"Meg...?" Sacchun said first, approaching her desk. Meg looked up, brushing her hair out of her face and looking at her friend.

"Hey." she said simply. Her voice sounded hoarse.

"You look..." Joe searched for a word that might sound complimenting, but nothing came to him. "...tired."

"Yeah..." she said. "...That's why I fell asleep."

"So..." Lloyd said, trying to make conversation. After such a long time, it felt odd having the four of them together again. "How'd you do on that test?" He had a feeling this was the wrong thing to ask.

"Oh... Oh, not that bad." Meg said, she flipped her paper with a trembling hand and revealed her mark to them.

"Whoa... _Meg _failing a test? Never saw that coming!" Joe said tactlessly. Sacchun stared and bit her lower lip and Lloyd wasn't sure what to say.

"That's uh... that's new." he said.

"Well, yeah, but I mean, it's not _that _bad."

Rick seemed to think otherwise, as he was standing right behind Lloyd without them even knowing. "A Forty-six?! Wow! Meghan Winslow, top of the class, getting a forty-six?!"

Meg glared at him.

"It _is _kinda surprising." Joe admitted. Meg turned on him.

"What do you mean?! You fail all the time!"

Sacchun nodded. "Yeah, but it's expected of Joe! We're not tryin' to put you down or anything, Meg, it's just a bit of a shock." she said.

Meg growled and took the paper and threw it into the recycling bin. "Whatever. Just because you guys have this false image of me doesn't mean I have to live up to it."

"Meg! Wait!" Sacchun grabbed her shoulder. "What's wrong...? I barely see you anymore..." she had the air of a lost puppy. Sacchun's pleading eyes stared into Meg's cold eyes for a moment. It was as if time had stopped temporarily all around them while they gazed into each others' eyes - at some point the two girls had been best friends, and now, Meg seemed cold and distant. With a rush, time suddenly continued ticking away and Meg broke away from Sacchun's grip and walked out the door.

---

Sacchun walked ahead of Joe and Lloyd to her locker. She didn't give them the chance to speak to her after their brush with Meg. She was so worried about her.

_I can't believe I've let my best friend slip like this... Time seems to go by so quickly and I just let things get screwed up! Jeez, I'm so STUPID! _she thought as she approached her locker. She banged her head on it a few times, earning her a few odd stares from fellow classmates walking by. After she eventually got her locker open, she checked her schedule that was pinned up by two flower magnets. She had english next - her first class with _Ms. Linette. _

_Oh, this oughta be fuuun. _she thought mischievously. Her thoughts wandered off to Joe. _And maybe... maybe I'll ask him then. I only have until Friday..._ and with that thought she felt her throat constrict slightly. _This Friday... They're coming this Friday._ She thought, as she walked off to her English class. _I don't have much time, which means Joe HAS to accept. He's the only one of my close friends who'd agree to do this! Meg's a mess, Lloyd's got his own complications to deal with, and Joe... I'm not sure why, but I'd feel more comfortable if it was him. I just hope he says yes._

She paused and stared out the window, when suddenly an image of Joe holding Katie appeared in her head. She couldn't shake this image, and for some reason it seemed to bother her. _But WHY does it bother me...? I don't even like him! There's no way... I could like that idiot! I mean, yeah, he's sweet and goofy and funny and whatever, but I can't LIKE him! I mean, he's such a goof...Ooooh, now I'm going to be bothered by this thought all the time._ Sacchun shook her head and continued walking, deciding to focus her thoughts instead on a new Ninja video game coming out.

_I'm sure Joe would love that new weapon they implemented, it'd make fighting way easier. I'll have to fight him in it one day! I'd kick his butt, hehe!. _Her happy thoughts were interrupted by the door to her English class. The bell rang just as she stepped in, and she was thankful that she'd be spared from another lecture and detention from Manna - then she remembered that Manna was not here, but was in some other town nursing a new grandchild. And even though she was expecting it, seeing Nami's fiery red hair was a bit of a shock. Sacchun stuck out her tongue childishly at the back of Nami's head, who was busy writing on the board. She turned around and revealed small glasses that she was wearing. She looked sternly at Sacchun.

"Take your seat." she said monotonously. Sacchun walked over to her normal seat in between Lloyd and Joe. She waved to them both and expected them to ask why she had left before them without a word, but they said nothing. The class was whispering excitedly and wondering about how their first class with the famous celebrity would be. Sacchun was about to turn to Joe and make her proposition, when Nami stood up. "Uh, no." she said suddenly.

She walked around the desks and stopped at Rick. "State your name."

"Rick Ellenore, Miss." he said with a polite smile. She shook her head.

"What are you doing in the front row?" she asked, gesturing to said row.

Rick blinked. "It is my seat, miss."

"Oh. No, no, no. I don't think so. You're all sitting in alphabetical order like you should be."

Sacchun rolled her eyes and said, "We always sit like this."

"I _don't _think so." Nami shook her head again, a stern look of disapproval on her face. "And don't call out. Hands up, _always. _That's not a rule that should need to be _enforced _at your age. I'm not here to teach a kindergarden class, I'm here to each a Grade 10 English class."

The class exchanged looks of obvious dislike. It was obvious this woman had no experience teaching before and was definitely not accustomed to kids.

"Rearrange yourselves. Now. In alphabetical order." she ordered, checking her watch. "Don't take a sceond over five minutes."

The class got up and lazily sat in alphabetical order. Lloyd and Joe were still fairly close to each other, but Sacchun was thrust all the way into the back. To Lloyd's discomfort, he was placed beside Karen and seperated from Gwen.

"Took you _six_ minutes." Nami checked her watch again.

'_She actually TIMED us?!' _Joe mouthed to Lloyd. Lloyd looked back at him incredulously.

"Anyway, let's begin. I see you're all in the middle of reading 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee. Interestingly enough, you're barely even halfway through the book. Most students should be done by now. Is there _anyone _in this class who's finished the book ahead of time?" Nami asked, looking around. Mary's hand was raised timidly.

"One student. Impressive." Nami said dryly. Sacchun rolled her eyes again, but it went unnoticed by Nami.

Rick spoke up. "Um, Ms. Linette, I am _almost _done --"

"When you have a job, you aren't payed until you're completely done. Being almost done means nothing. Now, take out your books and begin reading from where you left off. You've wasted enough time already." she turned and walked back to her desk. Sacchun's hand was in the air, but Nami payed no attention. She took off her glasses, put them back in their case, and began reading over what looked to be old essays written by the students of this class. When Nami looked up to make sure the class was reading, she finally noticed Sacchun's hand.

"What is it?"

"We don't normally read silently, we usually read out loud or listen to the tape-thingie."

"_What?_"

"_We don't normally read silently, we usually read out loud or listen to the tape-thingie!!"_ Sacchun repeated loudly. Nami got up again, her eyebrow twitching.

"_First _of all. You will begin your sentences with 'Ms. Linette' when addressing me. Second of all, a 'tape-thingie' is called a cassette player. Goddess, if you can't _speak _the language properly..." she trailed off and shook her head. "And _third _of all, get use to the fact that when you have a new teacher, things are bound to be different, and _you _have to _adapt. _Not _me. _Okay? So you will read silently and individually and not complain about it. Not while _I'm _teaching you, got it?" she said confidently and sharply. Clearly her skill to get the message across sharply and effectively was one from her past job.

"I was just sayin'." Sacchun shrugged and stared at her incredulously. "Chill out, miss."

"Chill out? You want me to _chill out_?"

"Yeah, 'cause you're kinda spazzing at me for _nothing." _Sacchun said boldly. It was clear that the entire class was watching and not a single student was focusing on their novels.

Joe spoke up. "All she did was tell you what we normally do! Why'd you have to get mad at a little thing like that?"

"Because you _kids _can't seem to grasp simple concepts! Raise your hand! Read silently! Do not question your teacher! Are these instructions so hard to follow?!" she demanded, turning on Joe.

Joe opened his mouth but no words came out for a few seconds and he closed his mouth.

"Sacchun's right." came Karen's voice. She sat back in her chair lazily, twirling a pencil, as if she was bored. "You need to chill out."

Nami's cold eyes shifted to Karen's seat now. "Chill out. Right. If the whole world just _chilled out _that'd make everything better, right? Well _obviously _I can't _CHILL OUT _when I have a group of students that are incapable of following simple instructions!"

"Hehehe." Sacchun giggled.

"_What are you giggling about back there?" _

"Oh, Sorry miss, It's just really amusing to see a teacher freak out like this on her very first day! You've probably broken a record or somethin', we should put this in the yearbook." she said with a broad smile. Several students snickered and Joe laughed openly. Even Mary had to hide her face behind her book to hide her laughter.

Nami's eyebrow twitched again. _I told myself I wouldn't get mad, and here I am... Urgh, I HATE, HATE, HATE stupid kids!_.

"Can everyone, _please_, get back to their silent reading?!" she asked with an irritated sigh. Sacchun gave her fake applause. "Ooh, she knows the word '_please'_! The english teacher discovered a new word to add to her vocabulary! Everyone give her a round of applause!"

"One more word out of you and you're going _straight. to. the. principal._" Nami emphasized each word to make her point very clear.

"Why?" Sacchun asked. "Can't handle me _yourself?"_ she asked with a cocky smile. Sacchun was definitely overdoing it.

"You children lack discipline."

"I hate to correct you, teacher, but we ain't children, we're teens." Karen corrected her.

"I _hate to correct you, child, but 'ain't' is not a word." _Nami seethed. Karen rolled her eyes in response. Lloyd stared at her and felt something inside of him - something he did not expect. Something about her rebellious attitude _appealed _to Lloyd. He shook the thought out of his head almost immediately, however.

"Honestly," Nami sighed irritably. "You should see this a _privilege _to have a teacher who is willing to help you improve your english. English _is _more important than any of you realise, and up till now you've all had wishy-washy teachers who are far too easy on you! You may not realise it now, but you will be grateful to have a teacher like me in the future."

"A teacher like you? You mean, one that doesn't even bother to learn her students' names?" Sacchun asked. "Oh, or were you talking about someone _else_? Because I don't see any _great teachers _in this room."

Nami's face went chalk-white and it was clear that Sacchun had gone too far.

"...Except Mary." Sacchun added. "She tutored me once, and I did so good on this test..."

"_WELL! YOU DID SO WELL! WHICH I DOUBT ANYWAY BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SEEM TO GRASP THE MOST SIMPLE RULES OF YOUR FIRST LANGUAGE! SEE ME AFTER SCHOOL, FOR YOU HAVE A DETENTION. EVERY. DAY. OF. THIS. WEEK." _Nami finally raised her voice. The class stared, not daring to say a word, and even the air was still as Nami's furious words hung over their heads. Sacchun really wanted to retort - she opened her mouth to, but the bell's melodious sound rang through the school.

"Uh..." Sacchun got up uncertainly. Nami quickly went to her desk, shoved everything angrily into her suitcase and flew through the door before a single student managed to leave. Sacchun met Joe and Lloyd by their desks and they both exchanged looks of amusement.

"Overkill?" Sacchun asked, biting her bottom lip.

"Definitely." Joe said, but Sacchun was happy to see that he was grinning broadly.

---

After their next class, which was Spanish, they all met at the Lunch dome for lunch. Sacchun sat with Dia and Kurt, who usually brought home-made lunches, while Joe and Lloyd went through the line to get their food. Meg wasn't sitting with them at their usual table under the tree, and she was nowhere to be seen. Sacchun was eating a salad she made and Dia and Kurt were talking about something that Sacchun wasn't quite paying attention to. She decided that she _had _to ask Joe this period. The day was almost over, and she wasn't going to put it off any longer.

"Sacchun?" Dia asked. Sacchun looked up from her salad, a leaf of lettuce sticking out of her mouth. Kurt snickered and Sacchun quickly ate it and laughed.

"Yes?"

"Today's English class was... interesting." Dia said, sounding amused.

Kurt agreed. "For some reason, whatever class Sacchun's in is always... interesting."

Sacchun grinned. "Don't tell me you two _like _that ... that cow?! No, wait, she's not fat enough to be a cow..."

"Well nah," Kurt said, in between bites. "I'm glad she takes english _seriously _and all, but she's a bit _too _serious."

"She _really _hates kids." Dia stated.

"Thankyou, Dia, I couldn't tell." Sacchun teased.

"I wonder if she'll actually loosen up..." Kurt pondered.

"If _who _will loosen up?" Joe asked as he and Lloyd brought their red trays over to the table.

"Ms. Linette." Dia answered as Kurt took a sip from his juice box.

"Ah... You owe me five dollars." Joe nudged Lloyd.

He rummaged for the money in his pocket. "Yeah, yeah."

Sacchun looked at them quizically and in response, Joe said, "We made a bet that you'd all be talking about today's english class and I won."

Sacchun then turned to Lloyd, looking equally quizzical.

"...What?"

"Why would you accept a bet like that? _Obviously _we'd be talking about it, stupid!" she laughed. Lloyd grinned and passed Joe the five dollars.

Sacchun continued eating her salad and then looked up when she heard the sound of footsteps. "Uh oh... Incoming skank at one o' clock ..." she muttered.

"What...?" Joe asked. "OOF!" he exclaimed as Katie glomped him, knocking his fork out of his hand and landing in the place that Sacchun's hand at been a moment before she moved it.

"Jooooooe!" she squealed. "Do you have any plans for today, afterschool?" she asked him, holding onto his arm and squeezing it.

Joe looked at Sacchun in front of him. "No... Well, kinda."

Sacchun stared at him. _'Why are you staring at ME?'_ she mouthed at him. Joe shook his head.

"Kinda? Aww, c'mon!! Stay with me afterschool. I have to lead the cheerleader tryouts and I really want you to be there with me so I won't die of boredom!" she pleaded.

Joe shifted uncomfortably. "Um, don't you have Nina for that?"

"_Yyyyeaaah, _but Nina's not my _boyfriend_!" Katie said, rolling her eyes.

Joe shook his head. "Sorry, Katie." he said.

"Jeez, you suck!" she retorted and punched him playfully.

"Do I really?" he asked her. She stared into his eyes.

"...Naw!" she said before embracing him affectionately.

Sacchun got up to throw out her napkin and juice box. "Ewww! Get a room, you two." she teased.

"Well, Joe? Should we take her advice?" she asked him suggestively.

"Nah, I'm fine right here." Joe grinned, and the two began making out.

Everyone around them at the table scooted over slightly and Sacchun stuck out her tongue at them and walked towards the Lunch Dome's exit. She turned for a minute and paused, staring at Joe and Katie sloppily making out. Feeling a bit disappointed, she turned and left the dome.

---

Their last class for the day was Gym. Normally this would be good news for them, since Gym was always a fun and leisurely way to end the day, but most people who were in Nami's english class this morning had told most of the other students how much of a witch she was, and thus they weren't looking forward to it all that much. Sacchun was _almost _looking forward to it, seeing as it was a great way to blow off some steam, but she knew she couldn't do much else without getting suspended.

There was a note on the door of the boy's gym that said that since Zack was absent today, it would be another co-ed class in the girl's gym. All the boys suddenly felt a lot gloomier knowing that they'd have to spend gym class under the wrath of Ms. Linette. Once they arrived at the Gym class, all the girls were already sitting on the floor in silence. Nami looked like she was in the middle of explaining something. She was wearing a white shirt and black sweatpants, complete with a whistle around her neck, which looked very odd on the ex-news reporter. Her cold glare was still in place, however, as she turned and glared at the boys now entering.

"It took you _this _long to read a note? Please don't tell me you actually have trouble with _reading _too."

"We're not even late!" Joe argued. As if to prove his point, the bell rung right as he finished his sentence. "See?!"

"Well, you are now. Get in, sit down, and ..." she paused. Almost everyone knew she wanted to finish her sentence with 'shut up'. She settled for a tamer version, however. "...be quiet."

The boys sat down uncertainly and Joe jokingly asked if they'd have to sit on the floor in alphabetical order also. Nami didn't quite catch that. Once they were all sitting, she began by explaining that she was not a very _physical _person and that she personally found Gym to be quite a waste of time, but that she was going to do her best to make sure everyone succeeded in it. Their first activity with Ms. Linette was going to be dodgeball.

"Dodgeball? Are we in grade six again?" Kai asked, an eyebrow cocked.

"You may as well be, since you cannot seem to _raise your hand. _Or is that some sort of handicap that everyone at this school posesses?"

Everyone exchanged looks that meant only one thing - everyone was in agreement that Nami Linette, was, in fact, a big jerk.

"But it's so nice out!" Popuri protested. "Can't we, like, go outside? I don't wanna be stuck inside..."

"Maybe another day, but I refuse to let you all run wild outside just yet." Nami said sternly.

'_Jeez, what are we, animals?!' _Karen mouthed to Popuri.

She went around and gave everyone a number - all the even numbers went on one side and the odd numbers went on the other. They split up into their teams and readied for the game. Sacchun was happy to see that she had Joe and Lloyd on her team.

"Alright, time for some _ninja dodgeball!" _Joe said excitedly. "Not even Nami Linette can ruin a good game of dodgeball!"

"Don't tell her that, I'm sure she'll see it as a challenge." Lloyd grinned.

"Still think she's hot, Joe?" Sacchun asked. Joe rubbed his head sheepishly and laughed.

"Not a chance." he said, and Sacchun's grin seemed to get broader. Lloyd saw that Karen was also on their team, and was seperated from most of her clique-members, including Popuri, Dan, and Kai, who were all on the other side. She walked around aimlessly in the back of the group until the game started.

"Begin!" Nami exclaimed, as she shot six dodgeballs into the court. Immediately the balls were being thrown back and forth - the stronger players were towards the front and the weaker players were thrust into the back. Sacchun and Joe were front-line soldiers in this case, as they were whipping the balls at the other team while exclaiming ridiculously. Nami took them to the side and lectured them about how yelling random words was not going to improve their performance and would simply give everyone, including herself, a headache. When they rejoined the game, they didn't seem to take in one bit of her advice.

Over on the other side, Dan was one of the stronger players. He shot the ball back and forth and often caught it, making him a valuable player. Some of the girls were checking him out, and he enjoyed all the attention he was getting. One girl in particular was Katie.

She hid behind him to avoid being hit by the balls. Dan lunged backwards to catch a particular ball that Joe had thrown at him and he almost hit Katie in doing so.

"Ah, you better be careful, chicka, or you might get hurt." he said with a wink.

Katie looked at him with a grin. "You wouldn't let _that _happen, would ya?" she said, openly flirting with him. Dan gave her a seductive grin and shielded her from the next ball that was coming straight at her. Katie giggled and continued to follow Dan around - Joe did not seem to notice at all.

Meanwhile, Lloyd was left with nothing to do. With most of the strong players at the front and there being only six balls, he didn't often get a chance to catch or throw any of the balls. Karen was in more or less the same position. It's not that they were one of the 'weak' players, they just didn't get much of a chance to do anything with people like Joe and Sacchun going crazy at the front. They walked around, often catching each others' eye, then turning away. Karen eventually waved to him, and he waved back, which he regretted a moment later as Karen began walking towards him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dodgeball flying towards her, and instinctively lunged in front of her and pushed her out of the way to keep her from being hit.

"What the--?!" she exclaimed as he pushed her out of the way, then as she saw the white ball bounce off his shoulder, she realised why he did that. "...Oh."

Lloyd looked up at her. "Sorry about that." he said. Karen nodded and looked at the other side of the Gym. Dan was giving Kai a triumphant high-five, which made Karen glare. She offered her hand and Lloyd took it as she helped him up.

"It's okay! Um... Thanks." she said, rubbing the back of her head.

Lloyd stared at her. He felt his heart beating quickly, but tried to convince himself it was simply the adrenaline rush and nothing else. _You like GWEN, remember? Not Karen! _

"Uh... yeah. I guess I'm ... out." he stated, and began walking over to the bench on the side. Karen turned and glared at Dan, who was winking at her.

"What a _pig..."_

---

With the day over, everyone was happy. Mondays were usually the longest day of the week, and it was finally over. Not for Sacchun, however - she still had to deal with Nami's detention. She decided to stick around in the gym and wait for Nami, since she didn't really have anything better to do. The teacher in quesion, however, was busy lecturing Dan and Kai about showboating. From the looks of it, they weren't taking in a word of what she was barking at them. Sacchun looked around and saw that they weren't the only ones left in the gym. Katie and Nina were still hanging around, chatting. Sacchun decided to join them.

"Hey there, Sacchun!" Katie greeted enthusiasticlaly. Sacchun winced slightly.

"Hiiiiii, Katie. and Nina. Who is not your boyfriend." Sacchun laughed. Katie laughed, remembering that Sacchun was there at lunch. "Why're you still here?" she asked.

"Detention with the witch." Sacchun gestured to Nami in back of them.

Nina laughed. "She's really made quite a reputation in her short time here!"

"Ugh, today's been terrible! I can't believe we have to live with this hag till June! So what are you guys up to, then?" Sacchun asked.

Katie grinned at her. "We're holding the cheerleader tryouts now. They're going to be out in the field, you should really try out."

"Ahahah! I'm not... really.. a cheerleader type person." Sacchun told them, waving her hands frantically.

"Aw, you'd be a great addition." Nina said sweetly. Sacchun just laughed. Nami walked over.

"Did I hear something about cheerleader tryouts?" she asked the three girls. Katie nodded, her breadstick-roll orange hair bobbing.

"Yes, ma'am. We have them every year at around this time. Two of our main cheerleaders last year graduated and another left the squad, so we need to find replacements." she explained. Nami's eyebrow twitched.

"Are you... capable of doing this on your own?"

Nina and Katie glanced at one another. "... I don't see why we wouldn't be." Nina said slowly.

"Children think they can do an adult's job, but that's not always the case." Nami told her. "I think I'll supervise these ... tryouts."

"That's really not necessarily." Katie said, almost too quickly. "We can handle it, Ms. Linette, really."

"Yeah, trust them, _they're _the cheerleaders here, ya know." Sacchun added in.

"Stay out of this." Nami said coldly. Sacchun hummed contently to herself.

"Still, I'll supervise them. Is this okay with you two?"

The two girls looked at one another uncertainly.

"I see. Then let's go out to the field." Nami nodded briskly. "Sacchun, come, you'll be staying with me, since you _do _have a detention." She said and steered the three girls outside.

Out in the sun, Sacchun felt her mood lift slightly. Good weather always made her feel free and reminded her that summer would be here soon. On the way down to the field, Katie and Nina tried to persuade Sacchun to become a cheerleader.

"C'mon! You can wave around like... pompoms and stuff! Those are fun!" Nina said enthusiastically, trying to convince her.

"And you always get to wear stylish skirts to the games!" Katie added.

"Iiiiiiiii'm _not_ a skirt person." Sacchun laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, Katie, but you're just going to have to find someone else. Besides, I'd probably end up goofin' up and toppling everyone down all dominoes-style, y'know? I don't see that going so well." she laughed.

Nami was walking behind the three girls, and her eyebrow twitched at almost every word that came out of Sacchun's mouth. _How does Alex do it?! How does he deal with these ridiculous children everyday! I'm not going to make it through to the end of this year, I'm going to kill myself! _

"What about... um... "

"Oh, there's always Meg." Katie remarked. "Though I haven't seen her around much."

"No! Word's going around that she's kinda... y'know, loony." Nina said in a hushed voice. Nami seemed to be eavesdropping on their conversation. "Meghan?" she asked. "Meghan Winslow? She was on the attendance list in today's Gym class, yet she was not here."

"Do you _mind?_" Sacchun turned around and looked at her. "We're trying to have a conversation here."

Nami's face went red with both embarassment at having nothing to say, and with anger.

"Meg _did _look awfully cute in that cheerleader uniform I lent her for Hallowe'en." Katie remarked.

"I don't know if Meg's really... in the best shape to be a cheerleader. Isn't there someone else you can recruit?" Sacchun asked.

"Well, there's always _you._" Nina said hopefully.

"...Sorry, but no."

They made it to the field and Nami and Sacchun were left to sit on the bench. Nami instructed her not to leave her sight, but besides that, the two refused to speak to each other. Sacchun contented herself by thinking of different ways to get her fired. She felt sad that english class was never going to be the same - no more drawing all over the boards or listening to Manna's long, boring stories or shooting notes to one another. That's when her mind was drawn to Joe.

_Joe!! Crap! I forgot to ask him! Again! I'm so, so, so STUPID! Argh! _Sacchun mentally slapped herself. _This is NOT good! My parents are coming at the end of this week, and we still need time to ... to rehearse! Dammit, if only Joe was here right now..._

And as if, miraculously, the Harvest Goddess was listening to her prayers, Sacchun spotted a certain blue-with-white-stars bandana walking towards the field. "JOE!" she got up and yelled, causing Nami's eyes to snap to Joe, who was walking towards the stands.

"Sacchun!" he called as he quickened his pace.

"Mr. Daggett," Nami started.

" _Wow, she knows your name!" _Sacchun whispered loudly. Nami chose to ignore her.

"_What _are you doing here, exactly?"

"I came to keep Sacchun company." Joe shrugged. Sacchun felt like jumping down and hugging him. Katie had stopped paying attention to the girl in front of them and her eyes were locked on Joe.

_THIS was what he had to do after school?!_

"And how did you know we'd be out in the fields?" Nami asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Joe replied, "I asked Dan and Kai, they said you headed out this way, so I came, and here you are."

"Anyway," Nami's eyebrow twitched. "You can't just _keep _her company."

"Then give me detention too. I called out in class today as well, so I don't see why not." Joe shrugged.

"...You, you're really asking me to give you a detention? That's not very ... _smart. _But fine, do what you want." she said irritably. Joe nearly jumped into the place next to Sacchun, who gave him a hug.

"Why are you here?" she whispered.  
"I decided to keep you company... I wasn't going to leave you alone with _her! _Jeez, that'd be like leaving a poor defenseless kitten in a cage with a lion!"

"HEY! I'm not that defenseless!" she punched him playfully.

"Ow! Okay, okay, you're right." he chuckled. The two of them had fun whispering behind Nami the whole time without her noticing. After about an hour, Katie and Nina were talking with some other girls who had done a good job, and Nami was getting ready to head back.

"I'm leaving. Have a..." Nami winced. "Have a good day, you two. Both of you are to meet me afterschool tomorrow to continue your detention."

"Oh, but wait, miss! I can't have a detention on Friday, I have to go to the airport."

Nami's eyebrow twitched. "The airport?"

"Yeah, yeah. My parents are flying in to visit and --"

Nami did not let her finish explaining. "Whatever, Then on Thursday, you're staying for two hours, got it? No less." _Now get out of my sight! _she thought fiercely. She was tired, and not in the mood to argue, so she left Joe and Sacchun alone in the sports field.

They began walking back to school, the spring breeze all around them.

"Aaah, it feels so good to be able to go outside without ugly boots and a huge jacket! I feel so free and nimble and..." Sacchun let out a relaxed sigh. Joe, however, approached her with a confused look.

"I didn't know your parents were coming this Friday..."

Sacchun looked into his eyes and inhaled deeply. She figured she may as well ask him now.

"Right, about that..." she paused, as the breeze whipped her hair into her face. She brushed it aside and continued. "... I need to ask you for a favor..."


	38. Meeting the 'Rents : Part 1

**// Author's Note: **Yay! This story is _still _alive! I don't really have much of an excuse for not writing... other than the fact that I'm on summer holiday and trying to avoid most school-related things! XD. But I'm still working on this story, and still intend to see it through to the end. Thank you _so _much for all the reviews I've gotten. If anything, they were the things that really pushed me to continue. I feel terrible for making everyone wait this long... I really have no excuse, so I'll just say I'm really, really sorry!

This chapter was dragging on _so _much, so I decided to cut it off after a certain point and split it into two parts. So in the last chapter, when I said that there will be three chapters dedicated to Sacchun, there will now be four! Sacchun fans may rejoice. Okay, so a little about the chapter itself. Just to recap a bit, since it's been a while, Sacchun's parents are coming to visit to discuss _something _with their daughter. _Something _which they apparently discussed way back at around Christmas time, and that _something _has made Sacchun dread their arrival. Honestly, I think she's being a bit of a drama queen in this chapter, since they're not _that _bad, but still, Sacchun's just being a pessmist. xD. Okay, I'll stop keeping you from the chapter. Enjoy! **End Author's Note // **

Chapter 37: Meeting the 'Rents : Part 1

"Um... Well..." Joe stuttered, rubbing the back of his head. He felt the heat of the afternoon sun strong on his back as he stood with Sacchun on the sports field.

"So... will you?" Sacchun asked. Her friend looked at her rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Me, though? Do you really think I'd be the best choice?"

Sacchun cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean? C'mon Joe! I'm sure you'd do a good job."

"I'm no _actor, _Sacchun!"

Sacchun sighed. "So you won't, then...?" she asked with a defeated sigh. She turned around and let out several soft, sad sighs.

"I ... I didn't say I _wouldn't, _though..." Joe said hastily. Sacchun's mouth curved into a crafty smirk that Joe did not notice. _That one always works._

"But..." he started. "Why _me? _Surely there are _tons _of other people who'd do a way better job than me! I mean... Meg! Or Lloyd, even!"

Sacchun continued to walk ahead, the grass brushing against her bare ankles. "Well..." she began to explain, "Lloyd is busy with his _own _things, y'know? Meg... She's not in the best state right now."

"What if she tells your parents the truth? That I'm not really your --"

Sacchun interrupted him. "Nah, she won't... She'll keep to herself, I doubt she really cares that my parents are coming down." she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Okay, but... What about Carl?" Joe asked, changing the subject. The black-haired girl looked back at him.

"...Carl?"

"He _is _your boyfriend, you know. I'm sure he wouldn't mind doing this favor for you."

She turned around and continued to walk on ahead, not saying a word for a few seconds. "Well... Y'know how it is. They're my _parents. _They're not the ..." she paused, searching for a good definition. " ... the _best _parents in the world. They can be a bit ..." she paused again. "...cooky? Yeah, cooky. They can be a bit _cooky._"

Joe laughed. "So? All parents are _cooky _sometimes. I mean, there was this _one _time, my mom had this box of hamburgers and - "

"It's just that," she cut him off again. "You and I, we've been friends for ... heck, since _forever! _I'd just feel more comfortable if it was you, okay?" Sacchun seemed to have difficulty stringing her sentences together, and seemed rather flustered.

"I guess I see your point." Joe said quietly. His heart was beating abnormally loudly, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

"So you'll do it?" Sacchun spun around eagerly again, walking backwards while facing Joe.

Joe smiled. "Yeah, yeah, I'll do it."

Before Sacchun could stop herself, she had thrown her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thanks." she whispered. She suddenly realised what she was doing and let go of the flustered boy.

"Um... yeah... No problem..." he said bashfully, his face beet red.

Sacchun felt her face growing hot as well, and quickfully took control of the situation again. "Oh, come on! Like you can't be _hugged _by your childhood friend without getting all embarassed! Jeez, grow up!" she said playfully, turning around and walking forward, so Joe couldn't see that, she too, was blushing.

---

That Friday, Sacchun couldn't help but feel distracted during last period. In just a few short hours, her parents would be disembarking from their plane and meeting Sacchun and Joe at the airport. It wasn't too far away, and Ray, who had _recently _acquired his drivers' license, offered to drive them there. At the moment, however, they were in the middle of a Biology class. They were dissecting frogs today, something which required at least _some _concentration - unfortunately for Sacchun, who was paired with Joe, her mind was elsewhere.

"Whoa, Sacchun, careful with that thing! You almost cut its _leg _off!" Joe grabbed her hand holding the scalpel and steered it away from the dissection tray. Sacchun snapped back to reality.

"Joe... Why are you holding my hand...?" she asked, an eyebrow cocked. Joe quickly let go of her hand.

"I was trying to keep you from amputating this poor frog's leg!" Joe explained.

"I'd never hurt poor froggy-poo!" Sacchun stuck out her tongue.

He chuckled. "Okay, _I'm _using the scalpel from now on."

"Aw..."

A couple of tables behind them, Katie and Nina, who were also partnered, were having similar problems.

"Katiiiie!" Nina squealed. "You nearly sliced her head off with that thing!"

"I did _not!" _Katie argued fiercely, aggressively stabbing the foam lining of the dissection tray. Nina stared at the scalpel, then at Katie.

"Okay, _fine, _I was being a bit ... rough." Katie admitted uncomfortably.

Nina took the scalpel out of the foam and started cutting at the frog's stomach again. "What's got your knickers in a knot, anyway?"

"Nina, I hope you are aware how stupid that sounded... Anyway, It's just... Guh, _those _two!" she jerked her thumb in the direction of Joe and Sacchun's table.

"So the Jealousy fairy has finally decided to pay you a visit? Fun..." The pink-haired girl remarked, keeping her eyes on the frog.

Katie stuck out her tongue. "I'm not _jealous! _Just a bit upset. I mean, Joe used to be all _over _me! Now he's all 'Mleh nyeh Sacchun, Oooh, let's go make out...'" she imitated them making out with each other.

"...They've really made out?"

"_Well no, _but you get my point! Isn't it like the golden rule of relationships that If a girl has marked her territory, others should _back off _or risk having their heads bitten off_?!" _

Nina giggled. "You make us sound like a barbaric pack of wolves."

"Okay, look. _I _am a woman of high calibur, right?" the orange-haired girl asked. Nina nodded her head absently. "Right. Exactly. So I deserve to be _appreciated! _I mean, Joe should _want _to show me off to all his friends and family like some beautiful trophy."

"Right, yeah." her friend agreed.

Katie looked desperately at her. "So? Does he not _appreciate _me? If he _did, _he wouldn't be _shacking up _with stupid Sacchun."

"...They've really shacked up together?"

"_Well no, _but you get my point!"

"How's it going, ladies?" asked Parsley Frampton, their Biology teacher. He examined their barely-cut frog and their blank paper. "... I see." he said, after one collective glance around their table.

"Yeah..." Katie chuckled nervously.

"Just remember, you'll have to come back and finish it _after school _if you don't finish now."

Nina smiled. "...D-Don't worry, sir, we're almost... uh..."

"Less chatting, more working." he said, in a very typical teacher-esque manner.

"Right..." the girls said. He left their table, and they didn't say a word until they were sure he wouldn't be able to hear them.

"Okay," Nina started, brushing her bright hair out of her face. "The next _special occasion _that's coming up, why don't you do something special with him? A romantic date or a killer present or something." she suggested, still focused on dissecting the frog in front of them.

"What special occasion, though? I mean... Well... There always is our six month anniversary this month, that ... could ..." she paused and slowed down. "...work."

Her eyes went wide and gleamed with inspiration. "Our six month anniversary! That's _perfect!" _

"Wow, six months, huh?" Nina asked, finally putting down the scalpel looking up at her friend's face of sheer determination.

"It's perfect!" she squealed.

"You're ready to do the whole six-month thing, then?" Nina asked excitedly. "Ooooh."

"Well of _course, _Nina. I'm a woman, you know." Katie said proudly, picking up the scalpel and cutting off blobs of fat inside the frog.

"Good luck, then!" Nina said enthusiastically. "I can't wait to hear about your _date."_

"Yeah." Katie said, a broad smile in place. She turned her head to look over at Joe and Sacchun, who were already washing out their dissection tray. She saw Sacchun flick a bit of water at him, and he flicked some back at her. Both were smiling broadly, and Katie's own smile quickly wilted and was replaced with a scowl. Growling, Katie didn't even realise she was probing the frog with the scalpel, harder and harder, until...

SPLAT.

"...Aaaaagh! Katie!!" Nina shrieked, wiping what seemed to be a weird juice out of her eyes. Katie looked down at the poor frog and saw its head cleanly sliced off.

"...Eheheh... Sorry!" she said, rushing off to get a napkin for her friend.

---

"RAAAAAAAAAAY!" Sacchun shrieked, after slamming into the window for the third time. "Slow _down, dammit! _We're going to be early as it is, no need for speed!"

The rugged boy chuckled nervously. "Eheheh, sorry about that, Sacchun... I'm still not used to this thing."

Sacchun rubbed her head and adjusted her seat belt. "Just... be careful... I'd like to be in one piece when my parents get off their plane." She was sitting in the back seat of Ray's blue Nissan, and Joe was in the passenger seat. Ray was admittedly new at driving, and it showed. His reckless and competetive nature showed _very _clearly as he sped through traffic lights and honked at cars that were too slow for his liking.

"Jeez, man, you sure you know where you're going?" Joe asked his friend, his eyebrow raised. Though he had only been to the airport a few times in his life, he didn't remember the road they were on.

"Yeah!" Ray scoffed, "Of _course _I do. I mean, I _think _I do..."

"Raaaay!"

Ray glanced into his mirror at Sacchun's distressed face. "I'm just _kidding, _Sacchun! I know where I'm going. Jeez, is it your time of month or something?"

"_No! _My heart is beating _enough _without the help of your reckless driving!_"_

The brunette stopped at the red light. "That _bad, _huh? Don't worry, I know what it's like to have crazy parents. Oh man, _one _time -"

"Ray, with all due respect, now isn't the time for stories..."

Joe gave Ray a wry smile. "Best not to stress the girl out."

"I was just trying to distract her..." Ray mumbled.

_Okay, _Sacchun thought to herself. _Time to distract yourself. Find something that won't make you think of mom and dad... Um... Fluffy rainbow unicorns! That works... La la la, fluffy rainbow unicorns, fluffy rainbow unicorns... Grah! It's not working! Oh man, this weekend is going to be hell!_

Her internal monologue was interrupted by Ray's deep voice. "Hey, uh, is it okay if we stop for tacos or something on the way back? 'Cause I'm kinda hun--"

"_DAMMIT RAY, WE ARE NOT STOPPING FOR TACOS, NOW KEEP DRIVING OR START PRAYING TO THE GODDESS THAT I DON'T KILL YOU."_

"Do what she says, dude, it's for the best." Joe advised.

"Y-Yes ma'am..." said their driver in a rather small voice, as the light turned to green and he continued on.

As Ray drove down the slope into the airport's underground parking lot, Sacchun felt as if a big knot had been tied between her two intestines. _There's no need to be afraid. Your parents won't scare your friends off and ruin your reputation. There's no need to be afraid. Your parents won't scare your friends off and ruin your reputation... _she repeated to herself in her mind as Ray parked the car.

"Where'd you get this dent from?" Joe was asking Ray as he got out of the car.

"You know how it is... You get really caught up in the speed and then out of no where another car just _happens _to pop out at you and... This is the result!" Ray said, gesturing to the dent right below his right car light. "Anyway, Sacchun, what time is it?"

"Time?" Sacchun got out of the car with difficulty, feeling that her legs had been turned to lead. "Time. Right. It's half past four. We have fifteen minutes till their plane gets here." _Fifteen minutes... Fifteen minutes... _Sacchun heard her own voice echo in her head.

"Well, let's go on up then." Joe said, walking toward the elevator ahead of them that would take them up to the airport itself."Best not to keep Mr. and Mrs. Yachiko waiting."

"Joe, before they arrive..." Sacchun said, when they got into the elevator. Joe pushed the tiny square button with a black '1' painted on it, and it lit up.

"Yeah?"

"...Promise me." she looked up at him. "_Promise _me, you'll still be my friend even after you meet my mom."

"Why wouldn't I be your friend? C'mon, Sacchun, all our parents are _crazy _sometimes, we all understand!"

Sacchun would have laughed if her stomach allowed her. "No.. Trust me, you don't."

Joe was curious as to what it was about Sacchun's parents that made her so upset that they were coming to visit. Until now, Joe was assuming that her dad was probably a very old-fashioned guy who didn't really understand the times around him, and her mom was the type of talkative mom who would constantly ask embarassing questions, or tell embarassing stories. That's practically how _his _parents were, he couldn't understand what it was about her parents that really stressed her out more than anything in the world.

"Alright, alright, I promise." he told her. He didn't think they were going to be _that _bad, not compared to his parents - but he _was _sure that no matter what, nothing could get in the way of the solid friendship he had built with Sacchun over the years that they had known each other. Sacchun felt the knot in her stomach loosen a bit. A faint _ding _came from the elevator's ceiling, and the metal doors opened, revealing the busy terminal. After being in the underground parking lot, the white walls and large sky-windows of the terminal were blinding.

"Maybe there's a _restaurant _or something here..." Ray mumbled to himself. Sacchun silenced him with a sharp glare. "...I'm hungry!"

They continued walking, ignoring a commotion that was caused by a girl with blonde hair in two pigtails who was apparently shouting at an old man who had eccentric Einstein-esque hair.

"WHAT DO YOU _MEAN _YOU FORGOT MY DRESS?!"

"I needed to make room for the cheese...!" whimpered the old geezer.

Sacchun walked ahead, Joe and Ray behind her, ignoring and blocking out the noise and commotions of the airport. They walked by several gift shops and browsed at the goods that were on display through the transparent glass. As they passed a book shop, they saw a girl with long, dark, blue-tinted hair with a light blue bow pressing her face on the glass and staring at the books with great interest. A security guard was tapping her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, ma'am... If you're going to buy something, go _inside _the shop instead of dirtying our windows..."

"Oh my, I'm terribly sorry!" she said, flustered.

"Wow..." Ray commented, "Lotsa odd people you find at these airports, huh?" he asked conversationally. Sacchun continued walking ahead without paying attention to either of the boys behind her.

'_Flight number 203 from Citrus City is now landing...' _the loud, almost mechanical voice said, through the speakers of the terminal. Others who were waiting for that particular flight rushed off, including the girl who was at the book shop.

They arrived at the area where people who were arriving would come in from, and took a seat on one of the leather-covered benches on the side of the wall. Sacchun had her legs and arms crossed, and was tapping her arm impatiently.

"Calm down..." Joe said calmly to her. "No use stressing yourself out anymore than you already are..."

"I know, I know..." she replied, checking her watch. There plane was probably landing at this very moment. Any minute now, They would emerge from the doors at the far end of the room. The area around the doors were roped off, to give the arrivals room to bring their luggage through. Around the roped area were many relatives and friends, some holding up signs or chatting away happily.

Joe and Ray were talking about soccer, but Sacchun was barely paying attention, her eyes focused on the doors. Her heart continued to beat loudly.

The doors finally opened for the first time. An eccentric asian woman with long black hair and bangs that were dyed-red walked out, looking extremely annoyed. Behind her, a spiky-haired redhead who looked as if he had had the time of his life bounced after her. He leapt into the arms of his girlfriend, the blue-haired girl they had seen earlier.

"Are _those _two your parents?" Ray asked earnestly.

"Talk about a dumb question." Joe answered in Sacchun's place. Ray grumbled.

Sacchun got up to go stand with everyone arouned the roped area, and Joe and Ray got up to follow her. They made their way to the front, to get a better look at the arrivals. Still, no sign of her parents. When a good chunk of the crowd had abated, Sacchun was feeling almost hopeful that they had missed their flight or changed their mind.

Her hope was promptly crushed as the doors swung open once again...

**// Post-Chapter Author's Note: **Right... Sorry about it being kind of short, but as I mentioned above, I really split this chapter into two parts. Part 2 is coming soon! Now to answer a few questions you may have. _Why did she choose Joe for whatever it is she's doing? _Well, as she mentioned in this chapter, it's more a comfort thing than a thing about who's best at it. Joe's been her best friend since forever, and she really would feel best with him doing whatever she asked him. Secondly, _what the hell did she ask him?! _... You'll just have to wait and find out.

I know, I'm terrible! XD See you next chapter! **End Post-Chapter Author's Note//**


	39. Meeting the 'Rents : Part 2

**// Author's Note: **Yay! There wasn't as much of a gap between last update and this one. So here is the second part to Meeting The 'Rents. Worry not, Sacchun-fans, her arc doesn't end here, for she still has one more chapter to go. This one's particularly interesting, since you get to learn a lot about Sacchun's background, and the kind of family that she comes from. I don't know how many people would have expected it from Sacchun, haha... Oh! Thanks sooooooooooo much for the reviews:D I've actually hit 200 reviews, and it's all thanks to all of you. You have _no _idea how happy it makes me. I'll do my best to live up to your amazing reviews and continue writing this story till the end!

Okay, enough out of me. Chapter 38, go! **End Author's Note//**

Character Notes

Ruby Lee/Ruby Yachiko : Lee is Ruby's maiden name, which she kept as her stagename. Legally, she is Ruby Yachiko. No, she is not the same Ruby from Forget-me-not Valley. xD

Yukio Yachiko - Sacchun's father.

Sasha Yachiko - Just to complete the family, this is just a reminder that Sasha is Sacchun's real name, and that she is in no way related to Karen's mom, Sasha. XD

Chapter 38: Meeting The 'Rents : Part 2

Sacchun gulped and lifted a trembling hand to wave to her parents. Noticing her greeting, the two adults walked around the ropes and, carrying their luggage behind them, approached Sacchun. The two boys accompanying Sacchun were simply staring - Ray's jaw dropped slightly at the sight of Sacchun's mother. Her parents glanced from Ray to Joe, as if scanning them and taking in every detail of their appearance. Finally, they looked at Sacchun and smiled.

"Sasha! How nice to see you after so long!" it was Mr. Yachiko who spoke first. He sounded enthusiastic, but not entirely sincere in his words. Taking Sacchun's hand in both of his, the short, plump man shook her hand and pulled her into a hug. He was a balding asian man who wore a business suit and had the air of an executive at an important company. Sacchun forced a smile, then looked nervously up into the face of her mother. Her mother was almost the complete opposite of her husband - she was till, fit, and had elegant brown locks that seemed to shine with a tint of red under the florescent lights of the airport. Wearing a silky red dress that wrapped around her figure elegantly, underneath a classy fur coat, Mrs. Yachiko was extremely attractive. Joe noticed that Sacchun mostly took after her father, but had the body shape and nose of her mother. Ray was still gaping at Mrs. Yachiko. Passers-by were whispering and muttering as they stared at Sacchun's mother. A man who looked to be about in his mid-twenties was disembarking as well, and had a book he kept open with his hand. Without watching where he was going, the man, with shaggy brown hair and large glasses, bumped into her.

Mrs. Yachiko turned around and looked at the man, who quickly adjusted his glasses to make sure he was seeing right, let out several quickly stammered apologies and walked off before she could get a word in. Sacchun stepped forward.

"H-Hello, Father! Hello, Mother!" she said, her voice strained and high pitched. She gave them an almost hysterical smile and nudged Ray painfully in the elbow, showing no attempt at subtlty.

"Oh! Uh... I'll... take your luggage! I can ... carry... luggage!" Ray sputtered, clumsily taking the two suitcases from Mr. and Mrs. Yachiko with difficulty. Joe offered to carry one, and Ray had no objections. The two boys hurried ahead to the underground parking lot while Sacchun walked with her parents. Once they were far enough from the Yachiko family, Ray turned to Joe, his expression a mix of shock, surprise, and obvious infatuation.

"Did you _see _Sacchun's mom?! Did you?" he demanded in a strained whisper, despite the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Yachiko could obviously not hear her. "That can't be her mom! No, no, it doesn't make any sense... Sacchun's _mom _is ... is... Gah!"

"I - I know," Joe stammered. They continued to walk forward, opening their mouthes to speak several times, then closing them in defeat after a few seconds. Soon enough, Sacchun caught up with them.

"E-Everything okay?" Ray asked, looking flustered.

Inhaling, Sacchun replied, "Yeah... so far, anyway... They're acting all pleasant now and ..." she stopped talking once she saw Ray's flushed face. She laughed darkly. "... And I'm assuming you now know who she is."

With a sigh, Sacchun stopped and turned around, facing her parents. Joe and Ray did the same, and saw the couple being swarmed by many adoring fans with cameras and autograph books or pieces of scrap paper and pencils.

"How come - You... but...! You never told us that your mom was the _famous _- "

"I know, I mean... It's nothing to really brag about, really, and ... uh, yeah... It just never came up, y'know?"

Ray gaped at her. "Never came up?! Your mother's a famous actress! Not just _any _famous actress, in fact, but Ruby Lee, _the _Ruby Lee! How could... gah!"

"Calm down, Ray, jeez. Get ahold of yourself!" Joe rolled his eyes. "...It is kinda odd that you never really mentioned it after all these years..." he admitted, feeling slightly hurt.

"I'm sorry!" the black-haired girl said desperately. "I didn't - you know that I don't like to talk about my parents and... Well... yeah!"

Ray was still blushing furiously. "I mean, my brother has _pin-up _posters of her and -"

"OKAY RAY! Talking to her _daughter, _in case you forgot! Her _daughter who would not like to know about the kind of posters her mom has been in!" _

"Sorry..." he mumbled.

Sacchun turned back to see her mom happily signing autographs and having her picture taken. Wondering whether or not she should go back and get her, Sacchun told the boys to continue to the car.

Ray put the suitcases into the trunk gently and once he was in the driver's seat, he took out a comb clumsily somewhere and began combing his hair vigorously while looking in the mirror. "_Can't _believe that... Ruby Lee... in my car... and ... Sacchun's mom..." he kept muttering oddly to himself, and Joe couldn't help but be slightly amused. It was nearly ten minutes till Mr. and Mrs. Yachiko reappeared with their daughter in the underground parking lot, and Ray dropped the comb almost immediately. "Joe! Joe, does my hair look okay?"

"Yeah it does, _Miss _Rayette, I'm sure Ms. Lee will positively swoon into your arms the moment she sees you." Joe teased his friend. For a second Ray looked hopeful, before it registered in his brain that Joe was just making fun of him. Sacchun opened the front door for her mother, and she climbed in next to Ray, much to his delight. She gave the shoddy blue Nissan a quick examination with her sharp brown eyes and Ray blushed in embarassment.

The boy nervously started the car and drove out of the parking lot, trying to keep his eyes away from Mrs. Yachiko.

"Sasha, dear," Mrs. Yachiko twisted around in her seat to face Sacchun. With a cheery smile, she continued. "You haven't introduced us to your two ... charming friends!"

Sacchun introduced them irritably. "Mom, this is Joe and that is Ray, boys, this is my mother, Ruby Ya-- well, you know who she is."

"Sacchun..." her mother raised her eyebrows disapprovingly at her.

"This is my mother, Ruby Yachiko, better known as famous actress Ruby Lee." she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Sacchun's mother quickly turned back, satisfied with the introductions.

"It's a pleasure, Joe, Ray." she nodded, but did not look at them. Ray's grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"So... we can't wait to see your place, Sasha." said Mr. Yachiko. Joe could tell that his tone of voice said otherwise. Something about his tone and refusal to call her 'Sacchun' was bothering him.

Sacchun fidgeted in her seat. "Yeah..."

"I'm sure that the living conditions are... Well, average." he chose his words carefully.

"They're fine, dad." she tried not to snap at him.

Mrs. Yachiko turned around once more. "Your father and I have been looking forward to seeing you after so long!" she said, her cheery grin in place. Joe couldn't help but think that it was fake.

"How was your flight, Mrs. Yachiko?" Joe asked, in an attempt at polite conversation. Turning her sharp brown eyes on him, she smiled.

"I'm glad _someone _did ask." she said with a hint of disapproval in her voice. Sacchun turned to look out the window. "It was most comfortable. Aside from being stuck behind a poor fellow who seemed to have a cold or something, we had a relaxing flight. First class, no doubt." she added.

"Wouldn't you need - er - bodyguards, or something?" he asked her.

"Oh, no." she let out a laugh. "No one really knew we were coming, or why. We decided that bringing bodyguards or our private jet or any of those other luxuries would simply draw attention to our trip and there's no reason for that! I suppose with what happened at the airport, there will be some _news _about my arrival, but we don't want to make a big deal out of it. Really, Sasha, you've grown so much since the last time we saw you!" she added happily, turning to the very unhappy Sacchun.

"Yeah..." she replied simply, not turning away from the window.

Mrs. Yachiko's smile faded slightly. "You saw my newest film, right?"

"I ... haven't gotten around to it, yet."

"Then we simply _must _go see it! You can invite your little friends and we shall make a date out of it."

"I already saw it, ma'am." said Ray, from behind the steering wheel. "It was - amazing!" he seemed to be on the verge of a long rant. "I really loved the dramatic scene with the thunderstorm and the bridge collapsing right when you ..."

Sacchun tried to tune him out. She was used to hearing others praise her mother's work whenever she was home, and having to deal with it _here _was nothing short of torture. Mrs. Yachiko was glowing happily as Ray continued his excessively long review of her film. Sacchun was waiting, waiting for them to ask, waiting for the moment her mom would turn around, her cheery grin in place, and ask Sacchun about...

"Oh, I saw it too, ma'am." Joe's voice suddenly pulled Sacchun back into the conversation.

"You did?" she asked, having not heard of it.

"Er... yeah..." Joe said uncomfortably. "I saw it with Katie."

"Katie is your ... _girlfriend?" _ Mr. Yachiko asked bluntly.

Joe's face turned slightly red. "Yeah." he replied "This month is going to be our six-month anniversary."

Sacchun felt a jolt in her stomach. She couldn't believe that it had already been six months, _six months _since Joe had asked Katie to the Starry Night Ball and everything had started then. It seemed as if it had all happened only yesterday - the cloudless night where the stars shone brightly, the decorated Lunch dome, the dresses and tuxedos, and the kiss with Carl...

"Oh..." Mr. Yachiko said sadly. "You see, we were hoping that Sasha may have hooked together with someone during her stay here."

"That's '_hooked up'_, Yukio." Mrs. Yachiko corrected him sharply.

"Mom, Dad, I _do _have a boyfriend, you know!" Sacchun tried to keep her voice level.

Mr. Yachiko turned to her with utmost interest. "You _do? _You didn't tell us about this!"

"Yes I did, at Christmas time! In fact... I think... our six-month anniversary is this month also." she blinked. She had completely forgotten about Carl the past few days, and felt a burn of guilt in her stomach.

"My, my! We must meet him. What was his name? Constantine?"

"Carl, Dad." Sacchun corrected him, with, Joe noted, almost the same sharpness as her mother.

"Yes, yes, Charles, we must meet him."

Ray had pulled into the parking lot near the student buildings and parked the car in a vacant spot before getting out to help Mr. and Mrs. Yachiko with their luggage.

"Here we are."

Sacchun's parents smiled pleasantly as Ray and Joe took their suitcases. Ray still seemed a bit starstruck as Mrs. Yachiko smiled at him, and Sacchun lead the way into the buildings. Upon entering, they found out that the elevator had broken and they were in the middle of repairs.

"Hmm..." Mr. Yachiko looked rather unimpressed by the broken elevator and Sacchun knew exactly what he was thinking. Thus, they were forced up three flights of stairs, Ray and Joe lugging the suitcases up with extreme caution. Sacchun had offered to help, but Ray _insisted _that he be the one to carry Mrs. Yachiko's luggage.

Sacchun unlocked the door to her's and Meg's room, and swung the door open, stepping aside to let Joe and Ray in first with the suitcases, then her parents. She could tell that her father was taking in every detail of the room. She had done her best to clean up before they arrived, and hoped that there wouldn't be any major complaints.

"What is _that?_" Mr. Yachiko looked down at Momo's food bowl.

"We have a dog, Dad." Sacchun said crossly, knowing he would not like that. "Anyway, we really don't have much space here -" Sacchun saw her father frown, and continued. " - But you two will be staying on the fold-out bed on the couch and ... yeah." she gestured to the green couch and the pillows and blankets that were sitting on the side of it.

"That's fine, dear." Mrs. Yachiko smiled, admiring the view out of the glass doors leading to their balcony.

"I'm going to go make some tea for you all... Joe, Ray, do you mind keeping them company?" Sacchun's tone was very unlike her own when she addressed Joe and Ray, but before they could answer, she was already on her way to the kitchen. Ray followed her, leaving Joe to sit down on the cough in awkward silence with Sacchun's parents.

"So where do _you _live, Joe?" asked Mrs. Yachiko. Joe explained the different student buildings, and stopped once Mrs. Yachiko looked satisfied. Then she moved on to her next question. "...So tell me all about the school, Flowerbud High..." she leaned forward eagerly, pleasantly smiling and waiting to drink in anything that Joe told them.

In the Kitchen, Sacchun busied herself with preparing the tea. She was so involved, in fact, that she didn't notice Ray making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich behind her. After she plugged in the kettle and turned around, she noticed Ray frantically trying to save his dripping sandwich as gobs of thick peanut butter and jelly slowly fell to the floor.

"Ray!! I just cleaned - Gah! Why couldn't you just _wait?!"_

"I _told _you I was hungry!" Ray said defensively, sinking his teeth into the sandwich, which oozed out more jelly onto his shirt. He had taken out a slice of cheese and slipped it in there as well.

"_Cheese, _Ray?! CHEESE?! No one eats _Peanut Butter & Jelly & Cheese _sandwiches!!! That's just _weird!" _

"Heyy... It's actually _quite _good, you know! I don't criticize _your _taste in snacks!" he said, dropping more blobs of jelly onto the kitchen floor.

"But... Gah! Clean it up! I've got to go ... attend to my parents and... yeah!" Sacchun frantically tossed Ray a roll of paper towels and left the kitchen to rejoin Joe and her parents - it seemed Joe was in the middle of a lengthy description, and her parents were watching him intently.

"...and she always used to _talk _and tell stories and whatever, but she got replaced recently because her daughter was having a baby. Now we have Nami Linette -"

"Nami Linette? The news anchor?" Mr. Yachiko asked, sounding surprised. He turned to his wife and nodded, clearly impressed. "That must be quite the privilege!"

"Uh, Yeah..." Joe decided not to tell them to harsh reality of Nami Linette's teaching style. Sacchun heard a loud echo through her mind at that moment.

_"...WHICH I DOUBT ANYWAY BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SEEM TO GRASP THE MOST SIMPLE RULES OF YOUR FIRST LANGUAGE! SEE ME AFTER SCHOOL, FOR YOU HAVE A DETENTION. EVERY. DAY. OF. THIS. WEEK." _

She couldn't help but give a grim smile at her parents' false idea of the red-haired teacher.

"So now she's teaching us and..." he trailed off, noticing Sacchun had reentered the living room.

"Tea's being brewed."

"Excellent, excellent.." Mr. Yachiko said pleasantly. "Now Sasha, as you know, our main purpose of this trip was to talk to you about ... your future." he turned to Sacchun, and his tone went from pleasant to suddenly serious. "From what Poe -"

"Joe, dad."

"From what Timothy has told us, Flowerbud High seems quite, ah..." Mr. Yachiko paused and gazed at the air around him as if searching for a conclusion his sentence - Joe tried to catch Sacchun's eye after Mr. Yachiko called him '_Timothy', _but Sacchun was too focused on her mother and father.

"...It's rather .. erm... _run of the mill._" Mrs. Yachiko finished delicately.

"Mom -"

"Sasha, listen, you know that we care about your education above anything else... We just want you to have a _good _future..."

"What if I'm _happy _here?" Sacchun asked quietly.

"Th-That's important, of course," Mr. Yachiko stammered. "But we - your mother and I - think it is time that you ... you complete your education at ... a different location."

"I gave you my answer at Christmas, and it hasn't changed since then! No! I'm _not _going to Citrus Academy!"

"Dear, we were just _suggesting - "_

"I'm happy here! My friends are here, my home is here, my _life _is here. I'm not leaving! There's nothing wrong with Flowerbud High!" she argued.

"Of course not, we never said - "

"Besides, the teachers are ... good. Save for a few. The town is small and intimate and everything's safe and peaceful! I would like nothing more than to live my whole _life _here."

"You can't be _serious, _dear, think about -"

"No! An army of ninjas couldn't move me. I'm _not _going back to that Academy." she stuck out her tongue, and Joe couldn't help but smile - he saw a bit of the old Sacchun come back.

"What about your... your grades? Wouldn't you rather have tutors and private courses to improve your grades? Your father is the _headmaster, _for crying out loud, he can help you succeed and - "

"I've been doing good. Well. I've been doing _well." _she corrected herself, amazed that Nami's lesson had actually managed to etch itself into her brain. "Besides, I got someone, like you asked me at Christmas..."

"You got a tutor?" Mr. Yachiko raised his eyebrow. Sacchun sat down next to Joe and nodded.

"He's my tutor! He's really smart!" Sacchun beamed.

"Oh - wait, you mean, young Finnigan here is...?" Mr. Yachiko turned to Joe, who ignored the complete name confusion. Mr. and Mrs. Yachiko exchanged an amused look, one that Sacchun understood fully, and Joe didn't understand at all.

"Yeah, I've been tutoring her everyday since Christmas!" Joe lied. He was over-enthusiastic and not very convincing, but it was enough to convince Sacchun's parents.

"Well - My, that's good." Mrs. Yachiko said, and giving Joe a thankful nod in the process.

"Has she improved any, Frederic?"

"Er - Yeah, she has. Loads, in fact." Joe said.

Sacchun nodded in agreement. "Yeah - in fact, I'll get my latest test..." she got to her feet and ran off to her room, passing the kitchen in the process. Ray had just finished cleaning up his sticky mess, though he had not done that good a job at it.

"Hey Sacchun, the kettle's boiling..."

"Get it and serve it!" Sacchun snapped. Ray frowned, but did as he was told. Inside her room, Sacchun gave Momo (who was currently asleep on her bed) a quick pat on the head and rummaged through her drawers for a certain piece of paper.

Returning to the living room in mere seconds, Sacchun clutched the test that Mr. Brassen had given her just the other day. She held it up to show her parents, who leaned in to get a better look.

"... My, but Sasha... This is _your _test, of course?" Mrs. Yachiko raised an eyebrow at her daughter, who glared behind the sheet she was holding up.

"Remarkable, remarkable..." her father muttered, examining the circled 92 in the corner of the sheet. "This is amazing, Archibald! Sasha was terrible at mathematics."

"Thanks..." Joe said uncomfortably. "But really, your daughter worked really hard for this mark, I didn't do _that _much..." he felt bad taking the credit for something he had nothing to do with.

"Nonsense, nonsense, Barrington, you need not be humble. I know a sharp boy when I see one!" he gave Joe an approving nod.

"Sacchun..." Mrs. Yachiko let go of the test and looked her daughter in the eyes. Sacchun was caught off guard by her mother using her old nickname, something her parents rarely did these days. "I can see you're happy here, I ... I don't entirely agree with your decision to _stay _here -" she paused, and Sacchun frowned. "- But It is, after all, your life and... There is only so much your father and I can do about that."

"I'm glad you've realised that, Mom." Sacchun muttered. "Just... Don't try and interfere, okay? I don't like having to fear your arrival or feel nervous before you come because I'm scared you might yank me off to the Academy!" She felt infinitely better after getting it off her chest. The air in her lungs which had, for the past while, felt like cold iron was now flowing and circulating as regular air should. "I ... I love you guys, but..."

Her parents stared at her, waiting for her to finish her sentence.

"But... I'll - I'll just leave it at that for now." she smiled, and Mrs. Yachiko pulled her daughter into a hug. Ray walked in on the scene with a tray of teacups, and glanced at Joe, who just smiled.

"Did I just walk into some alternate universe...?" he put the tray down on the coffee table, as Joe laughed in response.

"Yeah, you kinda missed a lot." Joe grinned at his friend.

"I was hungry!" Ray said defensively, putting his hands to his stomach, and Joe laughed again.

Later that night, after a relaxing dinner prepared by Sacchun and her mother, the family got ready for bed and Joe and Ray got ready to go back home. Sacchun opened the door for them and stepped out into the hallway with the two boys, closing the door in her bunny-print pyjamas.

Before Joe could even open his mouth, Sacchun had tackled him with an almost bone-crushing hug. "Thankyou _soooooo _much!"

"Haha... It was ... no problem." Joe struggled. Sacchun got up and smiled. "I told you it wouldn't be as bad as you thought. You were worrying for nothing!"

"So you're not abandonning me because my father can't remember your name?"

"Nope." Joe grinned.

"And you're not abandonning me because my mother's a famous movie actress who just happens to have a few roles in some adult films?"

"Nnnnope."

"And you're not abandonning me for being such a grump the past few weeks?"

"Sacchun, I wouldn't just abandon you like that!"

"I know, just making sure." she gave him an affectionate smile.

After a few moments of silence, Joe decided to ask what had been on his mind most of the night. "So ... was it really _that _big a deal asking me to become your tutor and all that? I mean, your parents didn't make such a huge deal about it."

"Yeah..." Sacchun turned away from Joe's gaze. "I thought they _would _... I mean, they always thought that if my tutor was a _guy, _I'd fall hopelessly in love with them."

"Where would they get an idea like _that?" _Joe laughed.

"...Eh, When I was smaller, I had a crush on one of my old tutors - he was a lot older than me, of course, but ever since then they've been wanting me to find a tutor that I'd like and eventually want to marry and _blah, blah, blah, _all that stuff." She still wasn't looking Joe in the eyes.

"Oh."

Another few seconds of awkward silence passed.

"I mean, not that that would happen again!" Sacchun laughed. "It was just a little crush this one time, my parents blew it way out of proportion. Besides -"she let out a fake snort. "_Me? _and _You? _I mean, c'mon, you're with Katie, and I'm with Carl, and..." she trailed off momentarily. "...We're both happy! Right?"

Joe nodded, before they were once again drowned in awkward silence.

Ray hovered between them awkwardly. "I'm - uh, going to get going... my dad's gonna expect the car home soon and... yeah."

"Ray!" Sacchun exclaimed, as if just noticing he was there. She gave him a tight hug also. "I'm sorry for treating you like crap today, especially after _all _you did for me. I was just a bit..."

"Stressed, don't worry Sacchun, I know. No hard feelings." Ray assured her.

"You're the best. I'll have to make it up to you one day."

"Well, if you bought me a _free taco lunch _sometime, that _miiiiight _make up for it." Ray winked at Sacchun, as if thinking she was too dumb to get the hint.

"Okay, okay, a free taco lunch it is." Sacchun laughed.

On the other side of the door, Mrs. Yachiko pulled her ear away from the door as her husand whistled merrily in the shower.

_I was uncertain of it before... but now, I'm sure... my daughter belongs here. _She closed her eyes, smiled, and crawled under the covers of the fold-out bed. It was the most peaceful sleep either of them had had in a while.


	40. Surprises

**// Author's Note : **Once again, I must announce that I am back from the dead with another chapter! Hopefully updates will become more regular after this (Yes, I can hear you all saying "Psh, yeah right!") or this could just be an impossible fantasy of mine. However, I can promise you the next update won't take several months XD. First of all, the usual apologies for the lateness. Nothing particular kept me from writing, but the combined efforts of everything did just as well a job. I did start writing my nifty **Rune Factory **fanfic though, which I reccomend to anyone who's played the game to read. (Given that there are scarcely any RF fics yet, I think it'd be worth it). It's called **The Witch who Wasn't, **and focuses mainly on Melody, but I won't go into detail about it since, after all, it is Harvest High that I should be ranting about.

Like I said, I do intend to finish this story. When I skim over the earlier chapters, I'm far from _proud _of them, but I really do want to complete this story as I have most of it planned out, for almost all the characters. There are tons of things left unresolved, so there is no way I will abandon this story anytime soon. To answer a question that's been cropping up unusually often, Jamie _will _be in this story, in a way that you wouldn't exactly expect. I can't say anymore without spoiling it, but he will be there, and he _will _play a crucial role. I can tell you that you won't even know about it until the last/second to last chapter, though. I'm guessing some of you smart readers who pick up on my silly details might figure it out beforehand, though.

Now, about this chapter specifically. This is a long chapter, possibly even my longest yet. I didn't even intend for it to be long, but things like this usually happen to me. I was very slow to get to it, since, as I envisioned this chapter in my head, I envisioned it as one of those boring chapters that just kind of links the last part of the story to the next - however, while it still does that, I found that it has turned from 'presumably boring' to 'never mind, it's not boring anymore'. Which is a good thing, I guess. I still found it was hard to finish the chapter, maybe because I just wasn't used to writing HH! after so long. Another thing that I was ... hesitant about in this chapter is something that I can tell might bother some people, and something that, I think, will force me to change the rating of this story to 'T'. Before you all click on your Back buttons and think that this story has gone on a path down to hell, it's really not _that _bad, but I'm just worried because I don't know how many people are going to look at it as "Oh, it's just part of the story" or "Oh my god, this is a terrible sign, someone take this story down please.". Hopefully, it is the former, because that's exactly what it is - just part of the story.

Next chapter, I think, will be when I will officially make HH a 'T' fanfic, simply because Chapter 40 has some suggestive (though highly unrelated) themes in it as well, which some of you might have foreseen.

Anyway, I'm way too tired to explain myself properly, so I'll stop keeping you from the chapter that you've all waited a couple of months to read. Hopefully it will make you laugh, or at least smile, or something positive. XD.

But one more thing - Thanks again for all the reviews! I'm not even joking - whenever I need some motivation, sometimes I just read over a couple of them and it reminds me that people really do want to read more of my story, and that is tons of motivation right there. So my 'Thanks' is very much sincere and meaningful. Thanks again! **End Author's Note // **

Chapter 39: Surprises

That Sunday, everyone was blessed with the presence of the sun, a soft breeze, and a clear blue sky that was unmatched by any sky they had seen this year. It was one of those mornings where you wake up and don't immediately remember what occurred only a couple of days ago. As Joe listened to the whirr of the laundry machines on the bottom floor of the student dormitories, he still couldn't believe that he had just met a world-famous actress, who happened to be the mother of his best friend. He pulled clothes out from the dryer in front of him and tossed them into the white laundry basket beside him.

Leaning over to sort through the laundry in the basket, the young boy dropped his cellphone into the mass of clothes and dug into the basket frantically trying to find it. Just that moment, the phone began ringing, and he unearthed it from underneath a pair of his boxers."Jooooooooe!" squealed a familiar voice through the phone.

"Oh, Hey!" he replied. "Katie?" .

After a small pause, the voice responded, "...No, It's Sacchun."

"Oh. Right. Sorry about that, Sacchy. Anyway, what's up?"

"Why were you expecting a call from Katie?" Sacchun asked nosily.

Joe rolled his eyes. "...'Cause she's my girlfriend, remember?"

"Huh. Well, if you'd _rather _talk to her than me..."

"Don't be stupid! You know I like talking to you just as much. So what's up?" he asked again.

Sacchun giggled. "I was just wondering if you wanted to do anything today. I'm taking my parents down Azure Street to show them around. Maybe you and Lloyd can come along!"

"Sure," said Joe, still finding it very surreal that he would be taking a stroll down Azure Street with Ruby Lee. He pulled a pair of socks out of the dryer and replied, "That sounds like fun. I'll go ask Lloyd and we'll be over soon."

"Great! We're all goin' out for lunch, too, so don't eat anything. Oh, and bring the doggies 'cause they're cute." Sacchun added happily.

"Why not ask Meg to come along? What's she doing today?" Joe asked as the thought came to him. He paused and thought about how long it had been since the four of them had been together, and was uncomfortable with the fact that it had been so long ago. Though he could hear Sacchun's breath on the other end, she didn't seem to want to respond.

"Sorry, Joe! I've gotta go help my mom. Just get over here as soon as you can!" she said, her voice sounding somewhat shaky. Then the room was quiet again, except for the constant whirr of the laundry machines. Joe was about to pocket his phone when it rang again.

"Hello?"

"Jooooooooe!" squealed another familiar voice.

"...Sacchun?" Joe asked stupidly.

"...What?" deadpanned the voice of Katie. "After all this time, you've forgotten what my voice sounds like, huh? Where've you been lately, hon?"

"Sorry, sorry," Joe said apologetically. "I've been a bit busy lately."

"I can tell."

It was one of those moments that could only be described as an awkward silence, which was becoming disturbingly familiar to the teen. So Joe rummaged through the laundry, looking for his blue bandana, and Katie continued to glare into the phone, knowing that Joe would not be able to see it but hoped he felt it.

"Well... Why don't we do something this afternoon, then? I'm not busy, _hopefully_ you're not busy, we can go catch a movie or something! I really loved that Ruby Lee movie we saw..." Katie said with interest. Joe wondered with amusement what his girlfriend would say if he told her that today he would be spending the day with the actress she was currently talking about.

"Can't." he said stiffly, folding up the socks and placing them in the laundry basket. "I've already made plans."

"...With who?" Katie said, trying to keep the jealousy out of her voice. Doing so was, unfortunately, like trying to keep water in cupped hands.

"Friend." Joe replied, concentrating on his clothes.

"A girl?" Katie tried, this time, to ask it in the sweetest voice she could muster, which just ended up sounding psychotic to Joe.

He rolled his eyes at this. "So what if it was? Am I not allowed to hang out with other girls?" he challenged.

"So you'd rather hang out with Sacchun than me?" Katie asked, ignoring his question all together.

Joe replied, "I never said I was going to be with Sacchun."

"_Are _you going to be with Sacchun?" Her voice turned more and more sour with each word.

"...She's my _friend, _Katie, you know that! If you're gonna try to keep up us apart ..." Joe protested.

"You're right, I can't! You'd just go ahead and hang out with her anyway, wouldn't you? And you expect me to just sit back and do nothing about it? Ugh, Joe, you know what? Whatever. Call me back when you remember that you're _my boyfriend._" She snapped.

"Katie, I shouldn't even have to _say _this, but man, you're acting _ridiculous._" he stressed the word '_ridiculous'._

Her voice turned dangerously cold. "I bet you didn't even remember it was our six... You know what? It doesn't matter. Call me back when you get back from your _date _with Sacchun."

And that was how Joe and Katie had gotten into their first fight. Joe was somewhat unsettled by this, but at the same time, everyone said that fights were a healthy part of relationships. Maybe this just meant that he and Katie would become closer... but he was uncertain if he even _wanted _to, and that was somewhat unsettling. Snapping his phone closed rather bitterly, the bandana-wearing boy pocketed it and made his way back upstairs to his and Lloyd's room.

Upon entering, he was greeted by Ringo, happily yapping away and alterting Lloyd of Joe's presence.

"_You _look happy." Lloyd stated sarcastically, flipping through the channels as he lay lazily on the couch.

"Girl problems." Joe mumbled.

"But what _else _is new?" Lloyd asked wryly as he turned the TV off.

Joe slumped down on the couch next to his friend. "You do know, that at this point you qualify as the _king _of girl problems." He smirked. "And also, Sacchun wants to go for a walk down Azure street and is inviting us both - and the dog. So let's go!"

"You mean _I _get to meet _the _Ruby Lee?" Lloyd asked. Joe had filled him in on the details of Friday evening and Lloyd had listened with great difficulty. It was no big secret that Lloyd wasn't a fan of mainstream movies and all the stars that the average teenager worshipped, but he had kept his comments about Ruby Lee to himself now that he had found out she was Sacchun's mother.

"Do you think Sacchun would grow up to be like her mom?" Joe asked thoughtfully, as he got Ringo's leash.

Lloyd snorted, and Joe immediately regretted asking. "Is that a question, or wishful thinking?"

"_Lloyd! _I didn't mean... I just ... bah, nevermind." Joe put on his coat, flustered, and walked out of the dormitory, leaving Lloyd to catch up.

---

"It _really _is the most wondrous of days." Ruby Lee remarked, standing out on the balcony of Sacchun's room. "Don't you agree, Sasha?" She swung around to face her daughter as she fastened a leash around Momo's neck.

"Ugh... Your pet curled up with me and your father last night." she said irritably. "It slobbered all over your father and tried to chew on one of my toenails!"

"_Awww!" _Sacchun replied, as if it was the cutest thing in the world. She gave Momo a hearty pet and said, "He usually sleeps on Meg's bed, but I guess he decided to give you two a try." She grinned.

"Where _is _that Meg girl anyway? I haven't seen her at all since we arrived, and we're leaving tomorrow! Isn't she your roommate? Shouldn't she be staying here?" Ruby asked, casting a suspicious glance at her daughter. Sacchun was inert at first, then lifted her head.

"She's... sleeping over. At a friend's." she lied, almost certain her mother would see right through it. "She won't be back until Tuesday, unfortunately. I guess you'll have to wait until next time to meet her..." Again, her voice was shaking.

Sacchun looked back down at Momo, hiding her face from her mother's gaze. The image of Meg's face lingered in her mind, and she really did wonder where she was today. Slowly, something dawned on her. Something she had forgotten until just a few seconds ago - but a loud, familiar voice drove the thought right out of her head.

"_OI! SACCHUN!" _called a voice from below them. Out in the courtyard, Joe and Lloyd were looking up at their balcony with their hands shielding their eyes from the sun. Ringo barked up at them as well.

"C'mon, Momma! They're here!" Sacchun said gleefully, tearing into the room and out the door and down a flight of stairs, pulling poor Momo along with her. She arrived at the bottom floor in record time and exited the building, coming to a halt to avoid colliding with the two boys.

"Jooooooey! And Lloydy!" she promptly gave them each a hug.

"Heya. Ready to go?" Lloyd asked.

"_I _am. My parents should be out soon. What is _taking _them so long?" Sacchun tapped her foot impatiently, as if everyone was capable of inhuman speed.

"Isn't Meg coming?" asked Lloyd. A sudden quiet fell over the trio. It was another painful reminder about how their group had, lately, been only three quarters of what it usually was.

Sacchun broke the silence by mumbling, "Sleepover or something. Didn't leave details.", and left it at that. Joe gave Lloyd a glance, telling him that Joe did not know anymore than he did, and the topic was dropped, another awkward silence following.

This time, it was interrupted by Sacchun's mother, as the double glass doors of the building swung open and she came out, an expensive-looking handbag slung over her shoulder. Her elegant brown-red hair was up in a ponytail today, and she was wearing large designer-brand sunglasses with tiny rhinestones on each side. The typical guise for an undercover star.

"Hello boys! Oh, Sasha, you haven't introduced us to him yet." said Mrs. Yachiko, her husband waddling behind her wearing a collared dress shirt and green pants.

"This is Lloyd, Joe's roommate. Lloyd, these are my parents." Sacchun said very quickly.

"Oh, now _he _is a handsome fellow!" Mr. Yachiko started loudly, giving Lloyd a firm clap on the back. "Sasha, why don't you and your friend Montgomery -" Lloyd shot Joe a glance, his eyebrows arched. Joe simply shrugged in a _don't-look-at-me _kind of way. " - Get married when you're older?"

"_What?"_

"_What?! _Dad, that's a friggin' stupid idea!" Sacchun said sharply, frowning. "And for the _bazillionth _time, I have a boyfriend, if anyone cares!" She found herself almost yelling now.

"So where are you planning to take us, sweetie?" Mrs. Yachiko asked, interrupting.

Sacchun's glare lingered on her father before she turned her attention to Mrs. Yachiko. "Um... We can go anywhere. Everything's just a short walk away! The pet store, the diner, the square... How about we just walk down the street and check out different places?"

With a nod of Ruby Lee's head, they were off down the street. It was the time of day when everyone was out, either walking their pets, going to the store, visiting friends, or just enjoying the beautiful spring weather. This would normally be a pleasant experience, but escorting a world-famous actress through town was easier said than done. Sacchun would often have to stamp on her mother's foot to remind her that people were staring, and she would instantly turn away or pretend to be very interested in the floor. Sacchun kept a running commentary as they passed by various points of interest, with Joe and Lloyd helping along the side. Lloyd had become oddly quiet as they passed Doug's Diner, but only Joe seemed to notice. They passed by the different shops and establishments and waved to all the familiar faces they met along the way.

They finally stopped when they reached the Blue Sky Pet shop, and Ringo started barking wildly at the window, where a large bag of dog food was on display.

"Someone's hungry..." Mrs. Yachiko stated, looking down at Ringo. Momo soon joined in on the barking, but for no particular reason.

"Right, right, I need to buy some more food. Sorry, guys." Lloyd informed them, taking out his wallet and entering the store, still clutching onto Ringo's leash to keep him from tackling the bag right off the shelf.

"Oho! What a splendid little business." said an excited Mr. Yachiko. "Honey, is this the local grocery store?"

"Dad, It's the _pet shop_." sighed Sacchun.

"Is it now? Ah yes, I see those furry little critters now." he squinted at the puppies barking from within their cages lined up on the wall.

Lloyd, however, had frozen in his tracks once he had stepped inside. "Um..."

The rug sprawled on the floor was large enough to cover the majority of the floor, and on it was Ellen, Rick, and about half a dozen chickens. The pair were both wearing matching aprons and rubber gloves. Ellen cooed affectionately to a chicken that clucked its way over to her and she gave it a gentle pat on the head. Rick looked up as soon as the door had opened and alerted Ellen with a small "Er..."

"Hi." breathed Lloyd, trying to hide the obvious bewilderment in his voice.

"_What... what are these things?!" _Mrs. Yachiko scowled down at the birds. It was then that Rick had realised who was standing in the doorway, and he stood up so quickly, his glasses almost flew off his face. It took Ellen a little longer to register that Ruby Lee was standing in her tiny pet shop, for she was so entranced with the chickens, despite the fact that even _they _were now looking up at the newcomers with curiosity.

"Mom, you know what _chickens _are... What they're doing here, I haven't a clue, but..." Sacchun trailed off. The scene was very alien to both parties.

"Uh... Welcome! To ... Blue Sky Pet shop." Rick said, cutting the awkwardness that had built up between them.

"Yes! Welcome." Ellen said quickly. "I mean... Hi, Sacchun. And Joe. And ... Lloyd." her face was expressionless as she greeted them all.

"And ... Ruby Lee." Rick added, staring intently at his glasses which he was now polishing with an air of deep concentration.

"Mom, this is Ellen and Rick --"

"Ah, you are friends of my daughter, then?" Mrs. Yachiko put a hand on Sacchun's shoulder and steered her forward.

"Your daugh-- _daugh--"_ Rick coughed loudly.

_Of course. _thought Mrs. Yachiko as she saw Rick's inevitable reaction. _If she had not told her closest friends, why should she tell these people..._

"Yes... I am Sasha's mother, Ruby Lee." she said, trying to inject her voice with her usual confidence and enthusiasm that usually came naturally for a star.

"I - We never knew." Ellen breathed. "I mean that... you were..." she stammered.

"It's okay." Mrs. Yachiko assured her. "I know it must come as a bit of a shock."

"A bit - _a bit - " _Rick wheezed.

"Um... Now that _that's _out of the way... can someone please tell me why the heck your store has become a mating ground for chickens?" Joe asked pleasantly.

"Oh!" Ellen exclaimed, suddenly reminded of the chickens. She bent down and scooped one up in her gloved hands. "These little guys are staying here for a bit."

"You're chicken-sitting?" giggled an amused Sacchun.

"My uncle left them here for the day, he's coming to collect them sometime this evening." explained Rick, his glasses back on his nose.

"That's ... that's just precious." Mrs. Yachiko blinked. Ellen was now petting Momo on the head.

"Why are you guys here, anyway?"

Lloyd finally spoke. "We just need some dog food for Ringo - " he gestured to the dog, that was _supposed _attached to a leash that Lloyd was _supposed _to be holding onto. However, that was not the case. Spinning around wildly, it took him only half a second to see that Ringo had jumped right onto the shelf in the window display, tore open the bag, and was now happily feasting on its contents.

"_Ringo!" _he exclaimed, lunging for his leash. "Bad_ dog!" _

"Uh oh..." Rick muttered, not actually doing anything. Ellen, on the other hand, ran to help Lloyd pull the dog off. Sacchun was laughing and her mother was sending her looks of disapproval.

Once they had succeeded, she looked worriedly at the ripped bag.

"I'm really, _really _sorry. I'll pay for that, of course..." Lloyd said, trying to fasten the leash onto Ringo's collar. Unfortunately, he had chewed right threw the rope. "...And a new leash, if you don't mind." he sighed.

"Um... Right." she hurried off into the back room.

Lloyd saw this as an opportunity to ask the question that had been burning inside him since entering. Turning to the fiery-haired boy, he asked, "So Rick," he walked closer, surprised at his own assertiveness. "Are you and Ellen... going out, or something?"

"Uh..." the boy's eyebrow arched behind his large glasses. "Yes?"

"Oh - wait, _really?" _Lloyd's brown eyes went wide.

"Mhmm. Since the Spring Goddess festival, actually." he nodded, not bothering to keep his voice down.

Lloyd blanched. "Well ... congratulations, then! I mean... yeah, that's great!" He moved back to the rest of the group, feeling oddly betrayed. He knew it was _completely _stupid. After all, the last time he and Ellen had spoken was ages ago. Perhaps it was even as far back as the Starry Night ball. Lloyd was sure he didn't have any feelings for Ellen - that had been confirmed when he realised his feelings for Gwen. Though things were left rather unconcluded after the ball, he didn't actually think that Ellen would find someone else before _he _did. It was minorly irritating - he wasn't _jealous, _but almost a little hurt that Ellen had forgotten about him. Of course, he reminded himself, that it was perfectly normal, seeing as they hadn't spoken in months... His thoughts swirled around, and the more he tried to make sense of his feelings, the more jumbled up they would get. Suddenly, an image was flashing in his mind of Ellen walking through the front door of Doug's diner, finding him and Gwen on the floor playing with chickens. His mouth curled into a small grin at this thought, before he mentally shook his head because of how silly it was.

Ellen reemerged from the back room with a new bag of dog food and a red leash, and thrust it into Lloyd's hands before returning to the cash register and adding it all up.

"Er - " said Lloyd, glancing at the display. "You didn't charge me for the other bag of dog food."

"It's okay! You don't really need to pay. Of course, the gesture is nice, but It's not a big deal, really. You're - a friend." she said quickly, the smile on her face looking oddly unnatural.

"B-Bye Ms. Lee!" Rick called after them, sounding slightly out of breath. They heard him mutter, "Dammit! I should have asked for an autograph..."

"What a kind young lady that Cecilia was." said Mr. Yachiko happily, as they walked down the steps outside of Blue Sky Pet shop's entrance.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Lloyd," Mrs. Yachiko walked alongside him. "But as it is my profession, I count myself an expert on acting. And _bad _acting, above all, is very apparent to me. That girl -"

"It's complicated." Lloyd said quickly. "Stuff happened - in the past."

Mrs. Yachiko's eyes burned with curiosity. "Stuff. Like?"

"Nothing exciting." he assured her.

"Oh come on! All this tension could lead to the script for the world's best drama film yet!" she pressed.

"Mom, leave 'im a'one." Sacchun warned, sounding as if she was chewing something. Lloyd and Mrs. Yachiko looked behind them and saw Sacchun, Joe, and Mr. Yachiko happily eating hot dogs.

"When did you _get _those?!" Lloyd asked incredulously.

"We just passed a hot-dog vendor." Joe explained after swallowing. The curiosity in Mrs. Yachiko's eyes turned to envy, and her stomach grumbled.

"If you're hungry, we can always go to Callaway Café. It's not too far from here." Joe suggested. It only hit him a moment later, and he regretted making this suggestion. He didn't want to have to face Katie _now, _of all times. Then, he reminded himself that if Katie was willing to make plans earlier today, she most likely wouldn't be working. Good. That was good.

Joe found that while he was lost in thought, he was actually subconciously leading the group to Callaway Café. The trip from the pet shop to the café only involved one encounter with a Ruby Lee fan, that nearly scrambled over a parked car, yelling something in a foreign language, just to run towards her. Sacchun swore that it was Mr. Espatula, the Spanish teacher at Flowerbud High, but didn't mention this to her parents.

Callaway Café's windows were wide open, inviting in warm spring air and releasing welcoming scents of coffee and sweets, and happy chatter that stemmed from its many customers. The café was significantly busy today, and almost every table was occupied. As most restaurants and cafés did during this time of year, many tables were set up outside the small establishment. The atmosphere could not have been more inviting.

"This is a cozy little café." Mrs. Yachiko said fondly, fixing a baseball cap over her head that she seemed to have pulled from her handbag. The action was almost an unconcious one. Joe scanned each and every table as they entered. He saw many waitresses, but none of them - he let out a sigh of relief - were Katie. Unbeknowest to him, Sacchun was doing the same thing right beside him, but her luck was greated today - Carl was behind the counter taking the order of another familiar face, Karen.

"Oh, Carl's working today!" she said happily. Now that she had gotten relatively comfortable with her parents being here, she suddenly felt a lot happier to see Carl these days. His boyish face and bright eyes made him look even younger as he was standing next to Karen, who looked easily a couple of years older than him, despite the fact that they were in the same grade.

"Karen's there too." Lloyd added with cheeriness that was mostly fake. He expected Joe to catch his eye, but Joe's eyes had gone wide in horror at something emerging from the girl's bathroom.

"So's Katie." Joe's voice did not have any hint of cheer, fake or not. Sure enough, Katie had just exited the washroom, wearing her work apron. Joe tried to back out of the doorway and mutter something about 'fresh air', but Lloyd grabbed him around the wrist and made sure he didn't move. He wasn't going to hang around with Sacchun's parents, or face Karen, without his presence.

Katie straightened her apron and looked up, at first blanching at Joe's sudden appearance (and his current company), and then blinking a few times. Joe was almost certain a storm was about to follow.

But instead, Katie's face split in a wide grin.

"Jooo_ooe!_" she squealed, moving through the crowd as quickly as possible. She shoved Karen aside as she passed, muttering, "Move it, skank.", though her wide grin did not falter. Karen glared daggers at the back of Katie's head.

Finally reaching her boyfriend, she wrapped her entire arm around his happily. Lloyd couldn't help but be reminded of an octopus, reaching out a long tentacle to pull its prey closer in. "What a _pleasant surprise!" _

"Hi Katie." Joe said automatically. "I thought you w-weren't working today."

"Well, Joe, _darling._" she said, her words leaking dangerously with sweetness. "Since _you _said you were _busy _today, I didn't refuse when they called me in to help with all the business."

"Yes... That... That makes sense!"

"_But, _since you're _here, _and so am _I, _why don't I take my break early and we take a seat together?" she suggested forcefully. "CARL! I'm taking my break!"

Carl was busy scrubbing the mess on the counter Katie had indirectly caused by shoving Karen, who had spilled most of her drink. "What? But Katie - "

"_Thank_you, Carl!" she yelled over the crowd and gave him her best _do-NOT-argue-with-me-right-now-litte-boy _look. Carl's attention instantly went back to the counter. Karen was trying to catch Lloyd's eye now, but he decided to stare intently at the plant he recognized as the one Katie had knocked over some four months ago.

Katie noticed unhappily that the rest of the group followed her as she lead Joe to a small table, and, her eyebrow twitching in a very Nami Lynette-esque manner, she realised that she would not be able to shake them off. So she very 'politely' asked a group of young students to leave their table unless they were planning to order something else. The disgruntled teens left and Katie forced Joe into a seat.

"Joe! You _must _introduce your company to me."

"Actually, I think I should do that, 'cause they're my parents and all." Sacchun pointed out. Suddenly, Katie didn't care about introductions at all anymore.

"Your _parents, _are they?" her grin grew slightly wider, though Joe saw the side of her mouth twitch.

"We're from out of town." Mrs. Yachiko explained, as her husband looked around the café with great interest.

"Of _course! _I just _knew _that when Joe said he had _plans _today that it would be something important!" Her grip tightened on Joe's arm. "I should have expected it was to be something like showing _Sacchun's _parents around!"

"You two were going to make plans?" Mrs. Yachiko asked, frowning. "Joe, as much as I appreciate the gesture, you didn't _have _to come out with us today." Joe looked at Sacchun. It was becoming an increasingly stickier situation. "If you want, Joe, you can spend the rest of the day with this ... young lady."

"The name's Katie. Pleasure to meet you." Katie said happily. "Isn't that a great idea, Joe? We could go see a movie or something! And afterwards, I have a little surprise for you..." The look she gave Joe both intrigued him and scared him slightly. The gleam in her eye could almost be described as predatorial. Propping her chin upon her folded hands as she put her elbows on the table, she said, with a cat-like grin, "I was thinking of going to see that Ruby Lee movie."

"I heard it was quite good." said the actual Ruby Lee, her grin a little mischievous and her eyes twinkling unknowingly behind her shades. "But what do I know?"

---

After an hour or so, the group left Callaway Café. Again, they only had to deal with one encounter from a couple of excited fans - a couple of younger girls who had approached Mrs. Yachiko at their table and asked excitedly for a pair of autographs. Mrs. Yachiko obliged, in exchange for them keeping quiet - which they did, mostly, aside from the excited squealing that followed. They had since gone their seperate ways - Joe and Katie had walked off to the theater, leaving Lloyd, Sacchun and her parents to continue wandering down Azure Street.

"It is a pleasant little town." Mr. Yachiko observed with fondness.

"It is." his wife agreed. "Where to next, Sasha?"

"Anywhere." Sachun yawned lazily, the relaxing atmosphere of the café obviously had not let go of her yet.

They decided upon the Square. As was expected, the square was full of dog-walkers, kids running around, middle-aged women chatting on their way home from grocery shopping, and Henry Manoir, Flowerbud High's art teacher, once again having layed out a display of his paintings and was selling them, as he normally did on weekends.

"These are marvelous!" Mr. Yachiko stated gleefully as he admired the paintings.

"Ah, _merci!" _said an appreciative Mr. Manoir. It was no secret that he had trouble selling his paintings, and the outrageous prices did not seem to help.

"What is that one called?"

"_Monsieur, _you 'ave excellent taste! 'Zis one is called '_La Fille Solitaire' _- Ze lonely girl!" he added hastily, seeing the look of confusion on Mr. Yachiko's face. Mr. Yachiko looked down at the price tag (a steep $450) as Mrs. Yachiko watched some kids run on by, not paying much attention to the exchange between the artist and her husband. Lloyd regarded the picture. It was indeed a lonely picture, as it depicted a girl in a long white sleeping gown with long flowing blonde hair sitting with her hands on her knees on an ebony piano, their surroundings completely white.

Sacchun thought sadly that the girl almost looked like Meg. Then, she remembered something. She couldn't believe she forgot for a second time! It was --

"I'll take it!" Mr. Yachiko boomed suddenly.

"_What?!" _Sacchun and her mother both half-yelled, being pulled roughly out of their respective thoughts.

"It would look _luverly _in my office, dear, don't you agree?" he smiled, though his smile was not as wide as the one on Mr. Manoir's face, who was clearly happy that he had finally made a sale.

"Sasha, pumpkin, would you like one as well?"

"What? No, dad, I don't need any expensive paintings - " she started irritably.

"Nonsense! It would not hurt to bring some culture into your home, no matter what age." he wagged his a thick finger disapprovingly, and looked through the paintings again. He found one of a black kitten sitting comfortably in a straw basket that was otherwise filled with flowers.

"You like kitties, don't you, pumpkin?"

"Not real--"

"Excellent! Mr. Bibble, how much for this _luverly _painting?"

Mr. Manoir did not even take notice of Mr. Yachiko's mistake as he was far too excited by the fact that he was making yet another sale.

"_Monsieur, _as I 'ave said before, you 'ave excellent taste..."

Having happily bought two paintings, Mr. Yachiko then turned to Lloyd and said, "Now then, Vincent, would _you _perhaps like a painting as well?"

Lloyd was secretly thankful when Mrs. Yachiko pulled her husband away from Mr. Manoir's exhibit, as he had to resist cringing at the thought of having a painting like the one of the cat in the basket up on his walls.

"Look, there's Ann! _Annie!_" she skipped towards where the red-head was sitting. She wasn't alone, however, and Sacchun found her company most interesting. It was a young man, probably in his early twenties, that was oddly familiar. His shaggy brown hair and large glasses and kind face all seemed vaguely familiar. He and Ann were sitting on one of the many benches, laughing and each licking an ice cream cone, as today was the perfect day for one.

"Hiya, Sacchun!" Ann sat up, waving.

"Hey, Ann." Lloyd greeted, approaching the bench with Sacchun's parents once they finally caught up with their daughter. Mr. Yachiko was now lugging around the two heavy paintings, one tucked under each arm.

"Hi Ann! Are you Harry Potter?" she asked the bespectacled boy bluntly, without thinking. Her eyes raked his forehead. "No, no scar, you can't be."

Mrs. Yachiko gave her daughter a dissaproving scowl. "Sasha!"

The young brunette, however, laughed heartily. "A fair assumption, miss." His voice was warm and caring, and Sacchun did not expect it to be so confident and steady. "My name is Louis, actually. Louis Bennett." He held out his free hand, and Sacchun shook it.

"I'm Sacchun. A friend of Ann's. These are my parents, and this is another friend, Lloyd." she felt almost responsible for all introductions at this point.

"It's a pleasure." he said pleasantly. His eyes moved from Sacchun to Lloyd, then from Lloyd to Mr. Yachiko, and his eyes went very wide. The expression on his face suddenly triggered the memory in Sacchun's mind.

"Yes! _Now _I remember! You were at the airport on Friday!" she exclaimed.

"Ah, yes, you were on our flight, actually." Mrs. Yachiko observed.

Louis blanched. "Then you're... Ruby Lee?"

"I am." Mrs. Yachiko smiled.

The colour quickly returned to his face at the sight of her smile and he laughed again. "I do hope you can overlook our first 'meeting'. I made such a fool of myself! Of course, it was understandable, given the circumstances - I was lost in a book, and I did not expect to look up to find myself being stared at by _the _Ruby Lee!"

"Yes, well, I guess it isn't something that happens everyday." she admitted.

"Certainly not!" Louis laughed again. Ann was looking oddly annoyed at Mrs. Yachiko, perhaps because she had stolen Louis's attention.

"So, Mr. Buenevida, what brings you this far from Citrus City?" asked Mr. Yachiko, eyeing the ice cream cone hungrily, despite that they had just eaten.

"I'm actually here to help out Ann's father, Michael." he gestured to the red-haired girl, who was now nearly finished her ice cream cone. "They're getting married, of course, towards the end of the year - which is approaching quickly, I might add - and, though they would never admit it, they are not exactly a young couple! They're going to have to plan their wedding mostly on their own, with help, of course, from friends, but I imagine a lot of the work will be left up to them. This is all an assumption, mind you, since Michael did not tell me those exact words, but I knew what he meant when he called me down to help out." He licked his ice cream hastily, making sure it didn't melt all over his hand, and continued. "I used to be one of his students when he was a college professor, so he's called me back. He's got a lot on his plate, at the moment. He's also got to accompany Liz on a trip to see her parents, for reasons I can't exactly divulge at the moment, and I'm going to be filling in for a few of his math classes and helping out around the shop. Not to mention helping out around the _house,_ after all, his hands are going to be a _lot -" _Louis paused to laugh. "- more full soon, with the addition of four more kids. I think a helping hand around the house would sound welcome to anyone in his position."

"I do agree, I do agree..." said Mr. Yachiko gravely, as if imagining four Sacchuns running around his large estate back in Citrus City.

Sacchun was watching Ann with deep interest. As he spoke, she looked intently into his face and drank in every word that left his lips, as if they were part of a beautifully recited poem. The look she gave him did not seem like the kind you would give to an older-brother or uncle-type figure, a status that Sacchun had automatically assumed Louis must have.

Lloyd, however, was going over what Louis had said about the addition of four kids. He counted in his head, only Rick, Popuri, and Nina. His first thought was that, if this man was supposed to be taking over their math classes, he wasn't very good at counting. Then it hit him, and he opened his mouth before he could stop himself.

"Four kids? You mean Liz's --"

"Hey, Louis!" Ann said suddenly, jumping to her feet. "Is it really this late? We have to go help dad with getting those suitcases out of the basement! We promised we would!"

Louis jumped as well. "Is it _really _that late already? Oh gosh, we better hurry, Ann." He didn't even consult his watch and said a hasty goodbye to the group.

"Goodbye, Ms. Lee! And ... Mr. Lee, I suppose! Sacchun, Lloyd, I'm sure we will see each other again in the near future." He waved to each of them, and with a warm smile, he darted off towards the square's exit, where Ann had already started off to.

"The people here are all very kind." nodded Mr. Yachiko. "Good fellow, that Paddington. Good fellow."

"It has been a busy day." Mrs. Yachiko said. "I think I'd like to go home and rest for a bit, Sasha, and we can all go out for dinner later tonight. Perhaps if Joe and his ladyfriend are done with their date by then, they can join us as well. And of course, Lloyd, you'll be most welcome." she nodded at Lloyd.

"Yes, let's rest for a bit, my arms ache from carrying these paintings all day..."

"You've been carrying them for about twenty minutes, actually." Mrs. Yachiko remarked dryly.

"Alright!" Sacchun said, stretching. "I know a great place, the Moonlight Bar & Restaurant. It's quite classy." She added, knowing that her parents would like that.

"Sounds fantastic." Mrs. Yachiko said approvingly.

They exited the cobble-stoned square and were back on the main street. It felt later than it was as they walked back to the school and the student buildings. On their way, they had to stop at the convenience store so that Mrs. Yachiko could rush inside with her husband to buy him a cold bottled water. He had left the two paintings propped up against the wall of the store as Sacchun and Lloyd waited outside.

"I never got a chance to go to _Moonlight._" Lloyd said conversationally.

Sacchun smiled. "It's nice! I didn't enjoy it so much last time, though."

"Wasn't that Valentines Day?"

"Yeah!" she said, without bothering to explain anything further. "I wonder how Joe's date is going."

"He didn't look too happy when he left." Lloyd remarked.

"They've been a bit rocky lately, haven't they?" Sacchun's voice sounded almost hopeful to Lloyd, but he chose to dismiss it.

"Guess so."

They heard a sudden and violent cough, which made them both look around. It sounded as if it came from close-by. They had a feeling it had come from around the corner of the building, which lead into a thin alleyway. The mysterious cougher did not make another sound, but nor did Sacchun or Lloyd.

The glass door of the convenience store opened, and Mr. and Mrs. Yachiko stepped out, to Lloyd's relief.

"Come on, let's go!" Mrs. Yachiko said impatiently. "Yukio, for the last time, I don't care if you've _got the money, _you are _not _buying out the entire shelf of candy! You _know _it isn't good for your diabetes!"

Mr. Yachiko looked crestfallen at this piece of information. Sacchun and Lloyd each picked up a painting this time, and let the arguing couple (which was really just Mrs. Yachiko lecturing her husband) walk ahead of them.

The sun was only beginning to set now. Mrs. Yachiko walked at a stern pace, her eyes on her husband, and it was clear she wasn't paying attention to what was in front of her, for a moment later, she had fallen back with an exclamation of pain, and both her sunglasses and hat flew off.

Sacchun reflexively caught the hat in her hand, and was horrified when she heard the sound of glass shattering, thinking that it was her mom's expensive designer shades. However, she saw them lying on the cement, slightly scratched, but nothing more. She swung around and saw what had caused the shattering sound.

To her bewilderment, she saw Meg on the ground, her own pair of cheap shades on the ground, broken in several pieces. Lloyd had to stop himself from gasping, but Sacchun had let out an audible exclamation between a shriek and a gasp.

Meg was almost unrecognizable. Had they not been her friend for so many years, they would have swore that she was someone else, not Meghan Winslow. Her already long blonde hair was looking like an overgrown mess - it had always been long, but it looked very unkept these days, making it appear even longer. It only took a quick glance to confirm that she was a great deal skinnier than she had been the last time they had gotten a good look of her. Sacchun thought she had good reason to be wearing shades - her eyes were bloodshot, and the bags underneath them were prominent. The thing that bothered Sacchun most was what was clutched in Meg's hand - a brown, wrinkled paper bag that had a distinct shape caused by the way Meg was holding it. Sacchun suspected what it was, but prayed that these suspicions would never be confirmed.

Lloyd found it almost surreal that this was the exact same Meg that would sit with them almost every night of the previous summer, watching as he, Joe and Sacchun would play videogames, occasionally reading a book out of boredom or even joining in. Those nights seemed to have happened ages ago, and it brought upon him a starting realisation of how quickly time had come and gone. Only a short few months ago, it seemed, they were all sitting together at Doug's Diner on Christmas morning. Meg was - for lack of another word - whole. Now, she resembled a broken doll. A doll that had once been beautiful and whole, but now lay on the ground, broken, as if abandonned and forgotten by the girl that had once played with her.

Sacchun's eyes stared deeply into Meg's, who averted her gaze. Just as she was going to get up, and just as Mrs. Yachiko was going to open her mouth to say something, the door of the convenience store flew open and they heard the clerk stare out and yell,

"Ruby Lee! It's _the _Ruby Lee!" he shouted, sounding hoarse with excitement. Already he was dialling frantically on a cellphone, and almost every face in the vicinity of the convenience store turned to look at Mrs. Yachiko, who, grabbing the cap from Sacchun and her shades off the ground, quickly said out of the corner of her mouth, "_Run."_

Lloyd and Mr. Yachiko did as they were told, Mr. Yachiko wobbling along to keep up with his wife. Sacchun's eyes lingered on Meg's for a moment longer, a moment which felt like another eternity, and she too broke out into a run, as a hundred voices behind them slowly faded out.

---

Meg stood in her room, in the darkness. The only source of light came from her window, where the light of the crescent moon combined with the light of Azure street's streetlamps below the building. She stared into her vanity. She had made sure to come home very late, as usual, and was glad to find that Sacchun and her parents were out, presumably for dinner. This suited Meg's plans very well.

She would not be there for long. As per usual, she was waiting for the call before she would set out again.

Accidentally, she had forgot to set her cellphone to 'vibrate' mode, and she almost let a gasp escape her when the annoyingly shrill tune began to blare from it. Quickly answering it, she breathed heavily.

"Hello?"

"Hey, birthday girl." said the familiar voice of Lucy Clifford, sounding awake, despite the time. "Why do you sound so spooked? You knew I was going to call."

"I forgot to set my phone on vibrate." Meg hissed into the phone.

"Sucks." Lucy said casually. "Anyway, you can come over anytime."

"Great, thanks."

"How was your Birthday?" Lucy asked.

Meg did not respond for a few seconds. "Grand." she said sarcastically. "I came back and they layed out the red carpet and cooked me a feast fit for a king."

"Well, King Meg, I hope you enjoyed _my _littleBirthday surprise."

Meg said, incredulously, "_Your? _I haven't gotten it yet..."

"Sure you have. It's at the bottom of that paper bag. I got the dorky clerk at the convenience store to slip that in when you weren't looking." she explained.

Before she was done explaining, Meg's hand had already dived into the wrinkled bag, and she felt the bottom of it, finding a small plastic bag. Feeling its contents, she knew already knew what it was and her face turned white as the moon that illuminated it.

"_Lucy! _What are you playing at? This could have gotten me into _serious trouble! _You know it's - it's _illegal!" _she spluttered.

"Yeah, yeah, so is stealing drinks and cigarettes from the convenience store clerk while I distract him with that t-shirt he really likes to see me wear."

"You mean the one that reveals half your upper body?" Meg said icily.

"Just light it up and have a good birthday. _Happy Birthday to --" _Lucy's singing was cut off as Meg snapped the flip phone down. She looked down at the bag, her eyes narrowed.

Not for the first time, she had regretted getting involved with Lucy Clifford. Not for the first time, she hated herself for what she was doing. Not for the first time, she felt a small yearning to return to the person she used to be. And not for the first time, she realised that it was all just too late.

Shaking slightly, she reached into the bag and pulled out the smaller bag within, and a few slips of paper that accompanied it. Unsealing the bag slowly, she sang to herself, her voice hoarse due to both tears and the results of smoking.

"_Happy Birthday to me..." _she sniffed loudly, her hands shaking violently. "_Happy Birthday to me... Happy Birthday to Meeeg..."_

She felt a great sigh escape her mouth, following a shiver down her spine. She shuddered, let out a sob, and fell to her knees, the bag still in one hand, the slips of paper in the other.

"_Happy birthday to me..."_


	41. A Forthcoming Storm

**//Author's Note: **Eheheh, again, sorry for the lateness. But you've all heard that before, so let's move on to something else! This chapter is kind of short, but the next chapter (which _will _be coming soon, actually, believe it or not) will be very important. This one kind of leads up to it... as you can tell from the title. Anyway, on another note - Harvest High has been around for more than a year! I completely forgot that. Happy belated birthday, Harvest High. I'm really sorry about neglecting you recently! Thanks for the reviews as always, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's not as exciting or hectic as past chapters, but every chapter is important to the story, so... enjoy! **End Author's Note//**

Chapter 40: A Forthcoming Storm

Katie stretched and yawned, an unsatisfied grimace present on her face. Leaning against a wall, she waited patiently for the bathroom's door to swing open and release Joe. She crossed her arms as the door swung open again and a middle-aged man wobbled out. Her arms were hot. She could feel it as each of her fingers wrapped themselves around the other arm. Her blood was hot. Was it from anger? Anger that stemmed from Joe's indifferent and uncaring attitude during the entire movie? From his lack of physical contact, and rejection of the contact she offered him? Or, was it simply hot out of nerves - nerves that stemmed from the plan that she had kept secret from everyone but her closest friend, Nina? Within the past couple of hours, she felt that this secret plan acted like an innocent criminal in a jail cell - pounding on the bars, demanding release, just as it was currently doing to her pounding heart. Unconciously, she bit her lip and continued to wait.

A couple of minutes passed. Katie flinched as a woman with bright pink locks brushed past her and disappeared into the women's bathroom. The prospect of what she was about to do had made her oblivious to everything else happening around her. Finally, Joe appeared behind the door.

"Katie?" he asked, looking at the uncomfortable frown on her face. "Do you need to go? 'Cause you kind of look like you _do._"

"Oh, Joe!" she laughed shrilly. "You're _too _funny." The couple walked through another pair of doors and emerged into the lobby of the movie theater.

"Did you enjoy the movie? It was _definitely _one of her best." Katie said, a hint of bitterness in her voice. It was, quite possibly, the first time she and Joe could ever discuss the contents of the movie they had gone to see, as opposed to all the other times where half-way through the previews they'd end up in a tangle of arms and lips.

"Mm. It was okay." Shrugged Joe. "Well, thanks for the company. I'm gonna head on home now."

"_Home? _But... Why can't we... I mean, why don't you... walk me home?" Katie spluttered, using whatever excuse that came to mind in order to keep him with her.

"Katie..." Joe began, in that scolding tone that she hated.

"You wouldn't let a dainty girl like me walk home _this _late at night, would you?" She knew it was a bad argument, but what man could say 'No' to that?

With a sigh, Joe shrugged again and started heading for the exit. Katie followed hastily, second-thoughts about her plan stabbing at her like tiny, irritating hornets.

Upon exitting the cinema, it almost felt as if they had stepped into an entirely different season. The hot, summery day had melted away into a chilly, almost autumn-like night. The cloudless sky was now filled with nothing _but _clouds, obscuring the twinkling stars entirely. It seemed as if a storm was on its way. She crossed her arms again tightly, in an attempt to warm herself. Neither she nor Joe had brought jackets, for they hadn't expected such a change in the weather.

" Wow... really cooled down, huh?" Joe muttered, watching a flickering lamp-post and the moth that flew around it, occasionally shooting straight into the light.

"Yeah. I'm _really_ cold!" Katie shivered fakely, hoping to get something out of Joe.

"Then, I'd better get you home as soon as possible." Joe said, with a last glance at the moth buzzing annoyingly around the lamp-post. They set off down the street, unsurprised to see that almost everyone had gone home - after all, it _was _a Sunday night.

"Yeah, I guess we better get back..." Katie said glumly. They walked for a bit, and Katie felt like the silence was enough to drive her mad. "What's on your mind, cutie? I'm starting to think you've gone mute."

"No one's on my mind!" Joe said defensively.

"No _one?"_

"I mean... no-nothing's on my mind."

Katie felt like her mind was going haywire - dozens of thoughts and emotions were running around in a mad frenzy, and though it was dead silent outside, she could hear all her thoughts screaming at her, as if several tiny Katie's were sitting on her shoulder, yelling into her ear. Through this mental pandemonium, one name boiled to the surface... She had to act fast.

"Joe... Let's take a shortcut! The cold is really starting to get to me." She grabbed him around the wrist and lead him down a deserted alley, her heart beating violently.

"A Shortcut? We're almost there, Katie and -" He stopped as they reached the end. "This doesn't even lead anywhere!" The towering walls of the buildings on each side of the alleyway extinguished all the light around them, and their only source of light came from the streetlamp back on the street. "Okay, let's go ba--" Before she allowed Joe to say another word, she pounced on him and pinned him to the wall, forcing her lips onto his. After a few seconds of trying to force her way into his mouth, she stopped. He hadn't returned the kiss at all.

"What's wrong?"

"What, we're doing back-alley make outs now? That seems kinda trashy." he scowled, pushing Katie away.

Katie blanched. "What do you mean? C'mon, this is hot!"

"Sorry, I don't really get off to making out in dark alleys that smell like garbage and ... urine. Not my thing." he didn't sound angry, but the tone of rejection in his voice stung even more.

"Are you still mad because I pulled you out of your date with Sacchun?" Katie demanded, staring daggers at the boy.

Joe let out a sigh of frustration. "Do you _always _have to bring her into this?"

"What, were you meeting her folks and planning your wedding? Is that what you were _too busy _with?" She knew she should stop pushing his buttons, but every frustration she had had lately seemed to be spilling out.

"Why can't you understand that she is just my _friend? _Or do you not _understand what that means?!" _

"You," she started towards him, a finger raised dangerously to his chest. "Have _no _right to be angry at me! You ignore me, don't return my calls, spend more time with another girl, and you expect me _not _to be angry?"

"You're being self--"

"I'm _not!" _Katie snapped. "I'm _not_ being selfish!! Not once did I say you couldn't hang out with her, or that you couldn't be her friend, but for crying out loud, _there's a limit!"_

"If it bothered you so much," Joe said, in a voice of forced calm, "There are _much _better ways to go about it than all the things you did."

"Shut up, Joe." Katie felt tears sting her eyes, tears she knew he could not see. "Why don't you just admit that you like --"

"You know what? You can walk home yourself." Joe turned on his heel and before Katie could stop him, turned the corner and left her alone in the darkness.

Quietly, she held back a sob as his last words resounded in her ears. _Come on, Katie, _she thought to herself. _A young girl like yourself shouldn't be sitting in an alley crying. _She fought back tears. _That wouldn't look suspicious at all... _

Lifting herself up off the ground, Katie sniffed loudly and set out for her next destination - the nearest convenience store. Pushing the glass door open, she was unsurprised to see that the dorky clerk was sitting back in his chair, reading an old magazine. Heading for the back of the store, she was surprised to see someone else there - Dan. He was going through the large refridgerated rack, specifically eyeing the numerous six-packs of beer.

"Hello, there." she said, attempting to keep her voice chipper and less distraught. Dan turned around with a sly smile.

"Ooh, if it isn't Katie. Alone. With me. In the beer section. This is looking to be a fun night." his grin widened.

"Shut up!" Katie couldn't conceal her grin, though. She reached for a beer.

"I didn't know you drank."

"Don't get any ideas."

"Too late."

Katie raised an eyebrow and looked up into the Dan's charming smile. Unable to keep in a chuckle, she said, "Jeez, you look like an oversized hamster expecting a treat." Her chuckles became laughs.

"Are you gonna be the one giving me that treat?"

"...Go run in your wheel, little hamster, until you think up some better pick-up lines than that." She gave him a wry smile, before walking up to the counter and sliding the bottle over to the clerk.

"Um... Miss... I'm gonna need I.D. to make sure.. y'know... you're allowed to drink this..." He mumbled.

Dan stepped forward. "Does this young lady look like she's underage?" He shoved her forward lately.

"Huh? Oh - well... Hey, little guy," Katie put on the most seductive facial expression she could make. "Do _these _look like they belong to someone under eighteen?" She leaned forward over the counter, making her chest very prominent.

"...N-No, Ma'am..." blinked the clerk, behind his dorky glasses. She gave him the money and snatched the beer out of his hand after he could put it into a paper bag.

To her annoyance (..._or was it annoyance? _she wondered), Dan decided to follow her as she left the store.

"So, I didn't know you were into drinking." Dan said conversationally.

"Well... now you do." Katie popped the cap off and lifted the bottle to her lips.

Dan walked alongside her, letting her take her first gulp in peace.

"What about you, huh?" she lowered the bottle. "You gonna drink that whole sixpack by yourself?"

"No, no, most of it is for the bitch-queen." He said casually. "...Karen.", he added, after seeing the confused look on Katie's face.

"...Interesting name for your girlfriend." She teased. "Why are you still with her?"

"Because she's a slut." he yawned.

Katie gaped. "So what, _that's _what you look for in a woman?"

"Oh yeah, Karen's a total slut. Finds a new guy to sleep with almost every week. Even that Lloyd kid, I heard." Dan said, almost too casually. In fact, Katie wasn't even sure if she should believe him - she couldn't tell if he was just taking a joke too far or if he was being serious. "Really, now?" She replied, taking another swig of beer.

"Definitely."

_'Okay, so maybe I'm stretching the truth juuust a bit, but still, she deserves it...' _he thought to himself.

"Now then, how are you and your fickle little lover, Joe, doing?" He turned the tables on her.

"Fickle is right, for one thing..." she said miserably.

Dan's grin widened again. "That explains _oh so much._"

"Shut up. Besides, after tomorrow... Heh, I'll have my claws in him again."

"_Ouch._" Dan laughed. "Do I even want to know what you mean by that?"

"Shut up!" Katie punched him playfully. The pair stopped under a street lamp, illuminating Dan's tan skin, and every one of his dazzling teeth, all forming a smile.

"My home's right near here." she said.

"Why go home? The night is young, I've got alcohol, I say we make a party out of this." His voice had lost its playfulness, and was now downright seductive.

Katie considered it, then mentally smacked herself. No, no, she had to remain loyal to Joe, or she would be no different than him... However, maybe it was just the alcohol thinking for her, but part of her really wanted to take Dan up on his offer.

"You know what? Find me tomorrow, after school, and if things haven't worked out... Well, you may just get your chance." she grinned, turning the corner.

"Is that a promise, princess?"

Katie looked back, gave Dan a seductive wink, turned on her heel, and strolled off to her house. "We'll see."

---

"Now _that _was the best part of the whole darned day! Honey, that restaurant was _luverly!_" Mr. Yachiko boomed as they entered Sacchun's room in the appartment.

"It was indeed, Sasha. You really do have your father's apetite, as well." laughed Ruby Lee.

"_Mom!_"

Mr. Yachiko's booming laughter and hearty pat on the back made Sacchun stumble a bit. "Be proud, dear Sasha! You nearly polished off that entire pie by yourself!"

"Eheh, right." She removed her shoes and gave Momo a pat on the head.

"I'm just about ready to pass out on the couch. It's been quite a day. I'm glad we got to see the environment you live in, Sasha." Mrs. Yachiko said, her voice strong and confident as always.

"I'm going to change in the bathroom." she informed them all.

"Honey, could you make me a midnight snack? I'm rather hungry..."

"_Yukio!"_

_"Dad!" _Sacchun and her mother exclaimed simultaneously in disbelief.

"Just ... just asking." stammered Mr. Yachiko, who fell into an armchair and stretched his legs.

Once Sacchun's parents had fallen asleep (Her father falling asleep in the armchair, much to her mother's displease), she switched the lights off and went into her room, collapsing on her bed and rubbing her eyes. She heard the wind howl outside, crashing through the trees and making as much noise as possible, almost like a passing train. It really had been a very long day... She wondered how Joe was doing, but figured she'd ask him tomorrow. With a small twinge of annoyance, she wondered if he would even be home yet, or if Katie had decided to chain him up and keep him as her personal slave. Okay, that was one train of thought she didn't want to embark on. Her eyes shifted to her calendar, which was in between two posters of singers and bands she liked (and one above, of a really cute ninja waffle which she had found for cheap at a garage sale). It was the last day of April. May would begin soon, and then, if she survived May, there would be a couple weeks of June and... that was it. Another year gone.

She turned on her side and rubbed her eyes again. Looking at the poster, she noticed her own messy handwriting on today's date, in multi-colored gel pens. Squinting at the marked spot on her calendar, she suddenly felt as if her bed had turned into a bottomless hole. The sinking feeling in her stomach did not abate even after she got to her feet.

In blue, pink, and yellow, were the bright, sparkly words:

_'Meg's Birthday!!'_

Which she had written down so many months ago. Some part of her subconcious must have known this, because through-out the day she felt as if there was something important happening that she had forgotten. Now it became clear... and she felt disgusted with herself. What kind of a person could allow their best friend to slip away? How did she become so swept up in her own life to the point that she was ignoring the one of the girl who lived right next to her?

_'Well, that's about to change. Don't you worry, Meggo...' _she thought fiercely, diving to the floor and pulling out a plastic bucket full of pencil crayons and art supplies out from under her bed.. She looked at the clock - it was quarter to midnight. She had time. She also had _school_ tomorrow - but not for the first time, she was willing to put friends before school. Even if it meant becoming a zombie the next day, she was absolutely determined!

Taking four pieces of construction paper, she took her old scissors and began cutting into them, until four seperate letters were made : B, F, F, and L. To any avid internet chat-addict, this sequence of letters would be familiar. They stood for the words '_Best Friends for Life'. _

Frowning, she set to work decorating the four mutilated pieces of paper. With stickers, markers, sparkles, anything she could find that would look good. Once the four letters were colourful, sparkly, and decorated thoroughly, she looked down at her work of art, then at the clock, which now indicated that it was half past twelve.

_'It's not enough...' _she thought, feeling defeated. How could there possibly be any way to show how sorry she was? No physical object in the _world _was enough to represent what she felt. Still, she added finishing touches. Cutting at the edges, to make the letters look rounder and cleaner and adding designs here and there until there was nothing else she could do. Sacchun didn't know what else she could do. In the middle of the night, there was only so much she could accomplish. Heck, she already half an hour late, as it had _technically _been thirty minutes since Meg's birthday had ended.

She decided then, that if she couldn't put her feelings into physical arts & crafts, she'd find another way. Taking out a slip of looseleaf paper and her best pen, she decided to write something out. _Simple and heartfelt, _were the words she kept in mind as she wrote. Sacchun couldn't believe how hard it was to sum up all her feelings, all her regrets, into words. It was harder than any test or assignment that she would have gotten at school, and she almost wished they had classes that taught _this _kind of stuff!

After several failed attempts, she finally finished. Her digital clock informed her that it was one in the morning. _'That's okay...'_ she thought as she yawned. '_I've just got to be up in six and a half hours... that's not bad.' _She smiled grimly, as the wind once again violently whipped the branches outside.

Getting up and stretching, Sacchun moved quietly towards her door and opened it, careful not to make any noise that might wake her parents. Mr. Yachiko's snores carried out through-out the entire common room, and just as Sacchun tip-toed over to Meg's room, he blurted out, "...More butter! No, not margarine, you fool! I asked for ... butter...".

Sacchun's mouth formed a small smile as she opened Meg's room and ignored her father's sleep-talking. As she expected, Meg was not in her room, and her bed, with the music-note blanket and bedsheets, hadn't been touched in what seemed like ages. She decided to hang the four letters in an arc above her vanity, leaving the note on her desk. Sacchun stopped in front of her mirror, and saw, in the corner of it, an old picture of her and Meg, walking in the park on a sunny autumn day. She felt her throat constrict as she went about taping the letters on the wall. She took a step to the right to hang up the 'L', when she felt something weird under her foot.

Looking down, Sacchun realised she had stepped on a bag of ... _something. _She picked it up with the intention of setting it down on her desk, when she realised just what she was holding in her hand.

It was like a dozen alarms had gone off in her head, and she staggered, letting the small plastic bag fall through her rigid fingers on to the floor. The large paper 'L' fell with it. Sacchun felt her insides turn to ice. _Was Meg... doing drugs?! _

Tears streamed down her face, but she hardly noticed. The situation seemed ten times more real than it had seemed before. It had become a living nightmare. Unsure what to do, Sacchun stood there, looking at her reflection in Meg's vanity, and noticed the tears leak from her eyes, slowly, one by one.


	42. Goin' Down

**// Author's Note: **Huzzah, at least I'm not _that _late this time! Hopefully this will bring some old readers back, because I don't know how many people still have faith in this fanfic's updating pattern, haha. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter! I've been working on this one a lot, and it's, again, my longest chapter. Well over 10,000 words, I believe, which is a first for me. I've had this chapter planned out for a _very _long time, and trust me when I say that it's a major one. Yes, be prepared for some drama. Also... I may as well warn you, there's some iffy stuff that happens in this chapter, which pretty much confirms HH!'s 'T' rating. Hopefully this won't turn you off though, because it's kinda crucial to the story (why else would it be there?) and not every chapter is this... mature. Wow, I'm making it sound a lot worse than it really is. Oh well, read it for yourself, and then judge. Enjoy! I'm waiting to see your reactions, so please leave a review - I don't think I've ever asked that before, but for this chapter, I'm actually curious. **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 41: Goin' Down

The wind lashed against the windows violently, rattling and shaking the glass. To someone who had just woken up and wasn't fully aware of what was going on, it almost sounded like an earthquake outside. Lloyd lifted himself out of bed, rubbing his tired eyes and making his way into the common area of his apartment. Joe was already awake, looking like the he had been woken up by the overwhelming sound as well. The teen looked very odd without his trademark bandana on, and. He was watching the weather channel, but Lloyd didn't need to even glance at the TV to know that a storm was on its way. The thick black clouds made the outside world look a lot darker, and the trees were swaying and creaking with the large gusts of wind.

"What time is it?" he mumbled.

"Something like quarter to seven..." Joe yawned. "I was hoping they'd cancel school or something..."

Lloyd walked to the kitchen. "Because of a storm?"

"Hey, y'never know!"

Opening the fridge, Lloyd heard faint buzzing from the TV and saw the lights flicker a few times. "And we were enjoying a beautiful day just yesterday..." he sighed, taking the milk out. He poured cereal and milk into two bowls and left to brush his teeth.

Joe leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom. "So how was dinner with Sacchun's folks yesterday? Did I miss anymore hilarious encounters with fans? Did Mr. Yachiko come up with a dozen new names for you?"

"Akshully," Lloyd said, his toothbrush still in his mouth. "He wash too bishy eatin'...".

Once the two boys were seated at the table, Lloyd remembered that Joe had _other _plans last night. "Well then, how was your date with Katie?"

"Um... Is nightmariffic a word?"

"No, but I think I ..."

"... Well, whatever adjective can be used to describe something that was a complete and total nightmare." he said flatly, scooping up soggy cereal in his spoon.

Suddenly, Lloyd was interested. "Aw, no making out and disturbing the peace of the cinema? That's a shame." he teased. "I'm sure the other movie-goers were _so _disappointed."

"Yeah, yeah, get your teasing out and be done with it. I don't know, I just wasn't in the mood to see Katie yesterday. Especially when she's all over me and stuff. It's annoying after a while! And I was having fun with you guys before she came along." Joe admitted. He loved the feeling of getting things off his chest, and though Lloyd did tend to tease him a lot, he was always a good listener.

"So, after six-months, you're finally wearing each other out?"

Joe coughed into his cereal and got milk all over his face. "_Six months?! What?!" _

"...Yeah, didn't you guys notice? It's the first of May today, and you guys got together in December and..."

Joe blanched. "How the _HELL _do you remember these things?! Oh man, am I supposed to do something? I mean, should I have gotten her a gift or a special date or ... Oh jeez, what should I do?"

Lloyd grinned at his friend's cluelessness. "Well, there _is _this one rule that some girls like to apply to relationships that last as long as six months, basically --"

He was cut off as the lights flickered again and Ringo whimpered loudly.

"Aw, it's okay, boy..."

Ringo whimpered again, looking out at the increasingly dark sky.

---

Sacchun felt as if she was being pulled by her umbrella all the way to school. She had a feeling that this storm was going to get worse before it would get better. If these beastly winds were only the beginning of it, she dreaded the rest... Yes, rain was usually nice and pretty and fun to dance around in, but not when it's carried on vicious gusts of wind that make each drop feel like a small rock being flung towards you. The rain was only just starting, and if it weren't for the wind, Sacchun would be walking at double the speed she currently was to get to the front doors of the school.

'_I knew I should have stayed home today...' _she thought miserably.Not that her parents would let her. She knew her eyes were dark and puffy, but she explained to them that she had felt sick the night before because of the food... This, however, wasn't the case at all. What she saw last night was enough to make her more queasy than any kind of food could. Though she tried to push these thoughts to the back of her mind, it'd take a _big _distraction to keep them there.

She met with Carl at her locker, once she was thankfully within the warm, dry school. Taking off her black coat (which had become shiny with raindrops), she let out a long sigh.

"Funny, huh? I thought we could finally put all our coats and jackets away!" Carl laughed. "So, sugarplum, dinner sure was fun last night! Except your dad came up with some really weird names for me..."

"Yeah, that's, uh... not really unusual for him..." Sacchun said tiredly.

"Like, he asked me to pass him the salt and he called me 'Elijah', and then..." Sacchun tuned him out, occasionally nodding and saying 'Yeah'.

His voice broke through again, however. "...Seems like something's on your mind, so I'm going to go see what Blue's up to, or something."

"Wait! No, sorry, I'm just ... recovering from bein' sick. Yeah... that food didn't agree with me so much." she lied. "That's all it is. Honest! Just a lil'... stomach ache."

"You sure nothing's wrong?" She could hear the concern in his voice.

"Wrong? No, no, everything's fine... Stay with me for a bit?" She asked sweetly, feeling a bit childish. Carl didn't seem to think so - he nodded, and the two sat on the floor against the lockers. Sacchun lay her head down on his shoulder, and she almost fell asleep, enjoying the peaceful aura her boyfriend seemed to give off. Or maybe he was just using a different kind of shampoo ... whatever it was, it made Sacchun feel happy.

The bell rung several minutes later, and she was reluctant to give up her comfy spot on Carl's shoulder. Regardless, she picked up her books bitterly and headed towards math class.

Most of the class was late that day, probably because of the weather. Joe and Lloyd arrived right before class started, their clothes heavy with rainwater and Lloyd's hair sticking out in odd places because of the wind. He tried to flatten it as he took his seat. Meg wasn't present again.

Mr. Brassen walked into class, the spring in his step rather evident (he had been like this ever since he and Liz had gotten engaged), and pulled out his books. "Good morning, class." he said, recieving a half-hearted mumble in return.

"Yes, yes, today doesn't exactly look like the best day we've had, and I'm sure most of you would much rather be asleep in your beds..." his eyes flitted over Meg's desk, unsurprised that she wasn't there. "...but we have a pretty important day ahead of us. Some of you may have heard already, but I'm goin' down south for a couple of weeks. It's ... a family affair. One that can't really be avoided." he said sheepishly.

Sacchun vaguely thought of her theory that Liz was pregnant, and though it was practically confirmed now, she didn't really care.

"So... yes. I'd like you all to meet Louis Bennett, who's sitting at the back of the class right now."

At these words, all the heads turned to Louis's smiling face. He was sitting right behind Sacchun, but she hadn't noticed him at all. He waved with a good-natured smile.

"I used to teach him when I was a college professor, and since he's majoring in Math, I figured this would be a great opportunity for both of us. He'll be taking over the class for the next two weeks, starting on Thursday." His statement was followed by a round of interested murmurs between the class.

"Though he is more than capable, I feel bad leaving you with your exams so quickly approaching." Mr. Brassen gestured to the calendar. "But I'll be back before you know it."

During the class, Lloyd chanced a glance behind him, hoping to get Sacchun's attention, but wasn't sure how he could with Louis sitting right behind her. Sacchun seemed to be focusing hard on her worksheet (which, for Sacchun, was odd in itself), and wasn't paying attention to anything else. He wondered if something might have happened last night when they came back from the restaurant.

"Hey, Joe, do you get number three?" he asked.

"Nnnnno." Joe yawned, looking towards his friend. "Why would _I _get it?"  
Louis, it seemed, had been listening in on their conversation. "Need help, boys?" he asked, getting up and walking in between their desks.

"Not _really... _" Joe mumbled.

"Ah, yes, number three. That's easy, you just have to switch the spots of the _x _and _y, _and make the _x _a negative _x. _Simple!" He took Joe's pencil and scribbled it down.

Lloyd looked over Louis's hand and examined Joe's paper. "Are you sure that's right, sir?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It doesn't look right..." Joe added.

"No, it is. See, you just take that, and -- ... Oh. Well, what do you know! I was wrong. You make the _y _negative, not the _x._" he said with a chuckle ad Joe and Lloyd exchanged looks. "Sorry, I make silly mistakes too, sometimes. I'll try not to, in the future." He grinned and walked off to help the other students.

"...Well... That was interesting." Lloyd remarked as Joe laughed. Substitute teachers at Flowerbud High, like any other high school, were not treated with the most respect one would usually give to a teacher.

"Hey, Sacchun, did ya see that?" Joe turned around, his arm on his chair. Upon further examination, he could tell that Sacchun wasn't _really _focused on her work-sheet, her eyes seemed glazed over and she didn't look like she was absorbing anything that was on her sheet - this was proved by her paper being completely blank, without a single answer written.

"Mm... huh? What?" Sacchun looked up slowly.

"Are you okay? You look ... uh, bad." he said bluntly, noting the prominent bags under her eyes.

Sacchun stretched and mumbled in response. Joe vaguely heard the words 'food', 'stomach ache', and 'didn't sleep much'.

"Maybe you should go back home if you're not feeling well. Your parents can take care of you." Lloyd suggested, turning around.

"And get swept away by the crazy winds? I'm not Mary Poppins, you know..." she said with a small, empty smile. The boys laughed, followed by her own laughter - one that was hollow and empty. It faded as she turned her eyes on Meg's desk, and felt her throat constrict again.

When Math ended, the trio went to their respective lockers, preparing for their next class. Carl had appeared and was once again talking to Sacchun, who was in a better mood now that she was around Carl again.

"Ow!" Joe exclaimed, dropping a textbook on his toe.  
"Joe... You should pay attention to what you're taking from your locker. I swear, with the state that it's in, it's like you're playing a game of Jenga that's impossible to win..." Lloyd laughed.

"Like yours is much better!" Joe closed his locker and turned around, only to get a face-full of blue hair and enough force to push him to the ground. "_Ow!_" He exclaimed, as he bumped into the blue-haired girl.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Joe, but... Ah..." said a flustered Mia, scrambling to pick up her books. Her hairband had fallen over , with her hair, obscuring half of her face. Joe helped her before standing up.

"Today's just not your day, huh?" Lloyd remarked.

"What's up, Mia?" Joe ignored Lloyd. "You're not even late! No need to go speeding down the hallway like that."

"So-Sorry again, Joe, I was actually just wondering where... ah..." she tried to look over their heads at the door of the Math class.

"Who?" Lloyd asked.

"Ann - Is she in there...?" Mia trailed off and the two boys wheeled around, only to see Ann leaving and chatting animatedly with Louis, who was carrying her books for her and had that good-natured grin present as always.

Mia smiled darkly. "I suppose that is a new student?"

"Don't you think he's a bit old to be a student?" Joe laughed. "He's actually our sub for the next two weeks."

"Your substitute teacher? He and Ann seem to get along well - don't you find that a little ... ah... odd?" she forced her voice to remain casual.

"I dunno..." Joe rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, I don't know if I'm supposed to say this," Lloyd started uncertainly, "but they're living together and stuff. Louis is staying with Mr. Brassen and the family for a while. He's helping out around the house, since they're moving and everything."

"Is ... Is he, now? That certainly is kind of him." Mia commented airily, keeping her voice even. "I'm sure... anyone would appreciate that."

"Yeah, I guess! Mr. Brassen has so much going on his life right now, huh? I mean, who gets married at this age?" Joe laughed.

"Regardless," Mia fixed her hairband and tossed back her hair. "I wish them both all the happiness in the world." With a tone of bitterness in her voice, she turned on her heel and walked off briskly.

---

Karen was walking to English class with Popuri and Kai. She was listening to her MP3 player (which she now made a point of bringing to every English class rather than listen to Nami) as Popuri and Kai chatted animatedly.

"Hey, Karen." Kai called. Popuri yanked out Karen's earphone.

"Hey! What did you do that for?"

"Where's Dan?" Kai asked. "I haven't seen him."

"I don't _know! _You interrupted my song to ask me a dumb question like that?" she demanded, snatching her earphone back from Popuri.

"He _is technically _your boyfriend.", her pink-haired friend pointed out.

"_Technically..._"

The trio seperated as Popuri and Kai went on to their next class and Karen heaved a great sigh as she walked into the English class. Nami hadn't arrived yet, and neither had many of her classmates, save for Rick and Mary, who, oddly enough, wasn't talking to him like she usually did before class.

'_Where is Dan, anyway...?'_ Karen thought to herself. She turned suddenly, something on Nami's desk catching her eye. Among some novels and uncorrected papers, lay an envelope with Manna's neat writing on it. Feeling a bit rebellious (which anyone would, if their teacher was someone like Nami Linette), Karen swiped the envelope and pocketed it, hoping neither of her present classmates saw. With the letter safely in her jean pocket, she returned to her seat.

The class slowly started to fill up, but since Karen was sitting right at the back, she didn't see any danger in reading the letter _now. _Tearing it open rather unceremoniously, she felt nostalgic as she looked at Manna's handwriting. Though it had only been a month, the students missed Manna dearly (but, again, anyone would, if their teacher was Nami Linette).

_Hello Ms. Linette and my favourite class!_

_It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm sitting next to my new grandson's crib, believe it or not! The little guy's name is Nick. We haven't taken any pictures yet, but when we do, I'll be sure to send some. He's just too cute to not share with the world! _

_So how has class been going without me? I miss you all a lot - really, I do. I've been trying to teach little Nickie some Shakespearean, but it's just not the same! But, he is a baby... I guess they don't have much interest in literature at this age. Oh well, he'll be growing up in no time, just like his mommy, and someday he and I can sit down and read through Romeo & Juliet together. Yes, Grandma Manny will keep that aside for him._

Karen couldn't conceal a grin. This letter was just ... _so _Manna. Everything about it. She continued to read;

_Anyway, more about your english course. As you know, I can be a bit of a scatterbrain sometime, so It may have slipped my mind, but this year, there's a rather large provincial exam for English that you're all required to pass to get the credits necessary to pass high school. Yes, I know, this is rather big, don't freak out! We all forget to mention things like this once in a while. The point is, I just want to say that I'm extremely glad I chose Ms. Linette to be your english teacher. Trust me, if anyone will help you pass your exams, it will be her. The woman is a natural at this stuff, and I bet you're all the best of friends with her by now._

Pausing, Karen stared wide-eyed at the letter. '_Slipped her mind? A provincial exam?! She thinks Nami's a good TEACHER?!'. _Manna really was completely clueless. Karen read on;

_So I wish you all the best of luck! I have more to say, but my pen is dying, as you can probably see. Take care, everyone! _

_Manna - A.K.A. Mrs. D'Amour_

_P.S. - Nickie says 'Hi'! Actually - not really, he's just making gurgling noises._

_P.P.S. - You might be seeing me sooner than you think! Nami has the_

And that was where the letter ended, and Manna's increasingly fading writing finally faded out completely. '_Nami has the what?! Dammit, Manna! Why couldn't you have just gotten another pen and finished?' _Karen mentally yelled at the piece of paper. Looking over the top of it, she noticed that more of her classmates had arrived. Seeing Lloyd take his seat in front of her, she kicked the back of his chair.

"Yo, Lloyd."

"What?" he asked quickly, taken aback by Karen actually speaking to him.

"Catch." she crumpled up the letter and threw it at Lloyd.

Uncrumpling it, the brunette went read through it quickly, his mouth first forming a smile, then a look of complete disbelief, much like Karen's.

"Please tell me she's kidding." he groaned.

"I wish."

Lloyd's eyes flitted across the top of the page. "It said she wrote this near the beginning of April. Shouldn't it have arrived much sooner than that?"

"I... I didn't think about that. What the hell is Nami playing at?" The golden-haired girl exclaimed furiously.

"What are you two reading? Don't tell me we had homework I forgot about..." Joe moved his chair over.

"See for yourself." Lloyd replied through barred teeth.

By the time Joe had finished with the letter, Sacchun was entering the classroom with Carl waving behind her. He swore loudly as Sacchun sat down.

"Whatcha cursing for, Joe?"

He shoved the paper in front of her face, and she too had a similar reaction. Sacchun passed it to Gwen, who passed it on to another friend, and eventually the entire class had read it and had broken out into angry murmurs.

"Again, what the hell does Nami think she's doing?" at Karen's words the lights flickered ominously overhead, and in an almost horror movie-esque fashion, Nami Linette appeared in the doorway as the lights came back on again.

The class settled down, but almost each pair of eyes in the room was following Nami with great hatred as she walked from the door to her desk.

'_Ugh. What's their problem now? Stupid brats.' _she thought tiredly, her eyes scanning the class. The letter had now made its way back to Karen, who was now scribbling angry doodles on the back of it. With her black pen in hand, she drew a large heart around the letters M-A-N-N-A, and drew a heart broken in half with the letters N - A in the first half, and M - I in the second half. Smirking slightly, she stuffed the paper back into the envelope and hid it under her desk, almost waiting for Nami to realise it was missing.

"Okay guys," Nami started, setting down her mug of coffee on the desk. "To Kill a Mockingbird." she picked up the copy of the novel off her desk. "You have a test on it tomorrow."

She expected groans and numerous complaints, but surprisingly, they didn't come. The class remained stiff and many looked rather annoyed - even Mary, who was watching Nami with an odd mixture of exasperation and disappointment.

"So... yes. Make sure you're all prepared for that." She continued, when the class remained inert.

Mary's hand rose shakily. "Um, Ms. Linette..." she said timidly.

"Don't address me unless I address you first." Nami's eyes fell sharply on Mary.

"I'm sorry... It's just that, you can't exactly inform us about a test the day before." The black-haired girl said in her meek voice.

"Well, get used to it. I can't be pampering you guys all the time."

Though Nami actually was right, everyone knew why Mary had said what she did - she, like everyone else in the class, was afraid that Nami would not adequately prepare them for this super final exam that Manna had warned them about. Karen, as usual, was rather more vocal about her opinions.

"So when were you planning to tell us about our _provincial final exam?_" she demanded, seeing little point in raising her hand. Nami turned to her, biting her lower lip.

"What do you mean?" She asked in a voice of forced calm.

Karen couldn't resist - pulling Manna's letter out from underneath her desk, she held it steadily enough for Nami to see.

_"What are you doing with that you st--" _Nami took a step forward, but stopped herself from saying what she wanted to. "Hmph. So I see you all are not above snooping through your teacher's personal affairs. I see Manna has taught you well." She scoffed.

"Hey, you are _leagues _away from being as good as Mrs. D'Amour." Karen retorted. She wasn't exactly particularly close to Manna, but Nami had _no _right to talk about her like that - especially when Nami was just about the worst teacher ever to curse Flowerbud High with their presence.

Some of her classmates nodded in agreement, others sat stiffly, watching the exchange with interest.

"Why do I have to waste time arguing with one of you almost _every _class? Why can't you be good little children that don't question their teachers?" Nami threw her head back in frustration. "This generation..." she muttered.

"Because we're _not _children." Lloyd blurted out, taking everyone (even himself) by surprise.

"And ... well, you suck." Joe added in, with a yawn.

"That letter was addressed to us too, you know. You kinda had no right to keep it from us." Sacchun pointed out.

Karen sent a smug smile in their direction.

The rest of the class was now murmuring in agreement, though Mary kept shooting worried glances up at Nami's face, as if she was a ticking time bomb.

"I don't know _why _I try! What difference would it have made, huh? You kids are completely _hopeless _anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if more than half of you _failed!_" she said loudly, glaring at each of them. Almost the entire class fell silent at these words.

_'She gave up on us already? I know our class isn't the most likeable, but that's just... wrong.' _Mary thought, particularly stung by Nami's words. _'I don't understand...' _

"Just read and review these chapters for the test tomorrow, and who knows, by the grace of the goddess, some of you might pass." Nami said, returning to her desk.

'_She's horrible...'_ Mary thought sadly, opening her book. '_Really horrible..._'

The rest of the class passed in a silence punctured only by the rain and wind pounding against the windows. The bell rang and everyone got up to leave without hesitation.

"Karen, give me back the letter." Nami demanded as Karen turned to leave.

"Why should I? It technically belongs to us."

Nami laughed darkly. "Why should you? Because I'll... phone your parents and give you a detention." The typical threat of a teacher.

"Oh yes, I'm _so _scared of my parents and I've _never _been to detention before." said the blonde, rolling her eyes.

"Suspension, then."

"You _so _can't do that, and even if you did, I've been suspended before and it didn't make a difference." she challenged.

"You're really not helping your situation. What would your _precious _Manna think?" Nami stretched out '_precious' _mockingly.

"That's low." Karen said softly. She wasn't sure why she was doing this, but she walked forward and firmly placed the letter on her desk. Walking away without another word, she smirked, knowing that when she had put the letter back in the envelope, she had made sure to put it in so that when Nami took it out, she'd see the back first...

---

"Jeez, we may as well be inside an aquarium by the looks of it." Kurt muttered, watching the rain slide down the glass walls of the lunch dome with great rapidity. It almost felt like they were in a glass dome deep under the sea - it would probably feel like it, too, if someone opened any of the doors. At lunch, the Lunch dome was more packed than usual, for most of the students who usually went home or went out for lunch were stuck inside, for fear of drowning.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see fishies swimming by." Joe commented. The grey sky overhead did not seem to be getting any fainter.

"The lights have been flickering all day." Dia said, tipping some soup from her flask into her spoon. "They flickered in Mr. Barette's class and he thought there was a lock-down going on or something. He started yelling at us to hide under our desks..." She sipped her soup with raised eyebrows. Dia's favourite subject had _always _been History (and Music), but ever since switching to Flowerbud High... it hadn't been _quite _as fun.

Lloyd, who completed their table of four, said, "I don't know how we're going to go back home if the rain doesn't let up."

"Swim?" Joe offered jokingly. Everyone at the table decided to ignore that comment. Sacchun was eating with Carl, and as usual, Meg was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh no." Joe said suddenly. "Hide me." He ducked behind Lloyd.

Turning around, Lloyd found out why - Katie was walking into the dome, talking to Nina with an air of seriousness. Seeing Lloyd, she smiled vaguely and walked over, but not before giving Nina a chance to whisper something in her ear.

"Hiii, Lloyd! Is Joe around?"

Kurt answered, "Joe? Hmm, No, I haven't seen him.", before giving his brother a light kick under the table. Joe then jumped up and hit his head on the table.

"_Ouch! _Sorry, Katie, I uh, dropped my fork..." he rubbed his head and glared at Kurt. Katie looked pointedly at the lack of a fork in Joe's hand, and then at the _sandwich _he was eating, but chose to ignore this.

"Well, look at the time." Dia said monotonously, not bothering to keep the dislike out of her voice. "I have to practice my violin."

"I ... I will walk you to the music room, then." Kurt offered.

"Yes. Yes, that would be splendid."

And the couple got up and walked off. Lloyd made to do the same, but a pleading look from Joe held him in spot.

"Don't you usually eat at Callaway Café?" asked Joe.

"Yeah, but unless they arranged for a boat to come and take us there, that obviously wasn't going to happen today." Katie said tartly. "So where's your friend Sacchun?"

"Oh, I dunno. With her boyfriend." Joe replied.

_'Which is where she _should _be.' _Katie smirked triumphantly. So far, so good. "Wanna come take a walk with me?"

"_Outside?!"_

"No, you dufus."

"Oh, well, Lloyd just had to..." he trailed off, looking to Lloyd for help.

"Uh... We had to finish some Biology homework, yeah." he said, a bit too suspiciously. Katie just smiled and grabbed Joe's hand. "Don't worry about that! I have all the answers in my locker, I'll let you copy off me..."

"But... that way he won't exactly _learn _it himself, will he?" said Lloyd, in another feeble attempt. Katie glared at Lloyd and chose to ignore his attempt. As she dragged Joe off, Lloyd mouthed '_Sorry! I tried!'_

Katie passed Nina on the way out of the Lunch Dome, who whispered, "_Good luck!"_ in her ear. Katie replied with a confident smirk, and exited the Lunch Dome, as the lights flickered again.

"Sorry about last night." Joe said immediately. "I... I dunno. I've had things on my mind lately."

Katie was taken aback by his apology - she didn't entirely expect it. '_Oh well, if he's feeling guilty, then I can use that to my advantage.'. _The thought brought a small smirk to her face. "It's alright, Joe... but as you can see, I'm perfectly okay! Well, maybe not _perfectly..._" she looked away, letting the smirk slide off her like water.

"Huh?" Joe stopped walking. "What do you mean? What happened?" Katie took a few steps forward.

"Nothing, I just... met _Dan _on my way home last night." she painted her words with drama and sadness.

Joe's stomach lurched. '_Dan?! Oh jeez, don't tell me he raped her or something. Dammit, I shouldn't have just left her there...'. _It was almost amusing how fast Joe's mind seemed to go from '_Dan' _to '_rape'. _

"What happened? If he did anything to you..."

"No, no, he didn't. He just ... _f-followed _me home, and kept calling out to me and stuff. I just kept walking faster, I didn't even bother responding! I was too scared!" she let out a great shuddering sigh. Lying came almost too naturally for the teen.

"That freakin' creep..." Joe frowned.

'_Oh, this is going almost too well.' _Katie tried hard to conceal a mischievous grin. "I was really scared, Joe! I thought he was going to... to... well, you know."

Joe took a shaky step forward and pulled Katie into a hug. "It's okay. I'm sorry I left you. It was... really wrong of me... and if Dan comes up to you again, I'll -" he punched the air in demonstration. Joe mentally prayed that this would never happen, because he doubted he could do that to Dan's face and live to tell the tale.

Katie wrapped her arms around Joe and smiled. "Thanks. Shall we continue our walk?"

Walking up the stairs, Joe looked wistfully out the window. Maybe Katie wasn't _so _bad. Maybe he was wrong to be annoyed with her for silly things. They turned the corner and Joe noticed Kurt and Dia quickly turn the other way. The lights flickered again, this time for a few seconds longer than usual. Some of the younger students felt it necessary to scream for no reason, as if the darkness was going to kill them.

"Noisy! Let's go somewhere more quiet." Katie said, just as the lights turned on again.

"The library?" Joe offered. Katie raised an eyebrow. "What? You said you wanted somewhere more quiet!"

'_Okay, so he has a point. Besides, the Library will probably be deserted - who'd want to go there anyway? I don't see the appeal...' _

"Then off we go!" she and Joe walked down the stairs together. Katie couldn't imagine executing her plan in a _library... _but whatever, she'd figure something out.

Joe stopped. "Am I just blinking a lot, or are the lights flickering a lot?"

"What does it matter?" Katie said, somewhat irritably. "What _matters _is that we spend time together, not worrying about the dumb lights." She said quickly, in an attempt to cover up her minor irritation.

The couple arrived at the rather large Library, which was actually rather new for both of them - neither of them had ever visited the library on their own time, and mostly only came when it was with the class. Mia was sitting behind the desk, going through several late books and seperating them into piles. Joe _was _right - the room was filled with a hushed silence, even though there were a number of students sitting at the various tables or on the couches. It was a calm and serene place, which seemed almost out of place in a school like Flowerbud High.

"Well... uh..." Joe murmured, wondering what they could do in a _library _of all places.

"Shhh." Katie put a finger to her lips, then put it on his and said with a seductive tone, "No talking the library." She felt her skin tingle and her heart begin to pound again as she grabbed him and lead him down a deserted row of bookshelves. Joe obliviously looked up at the sign over the row they were heading into, which read '_Sexual Education'_.

"Why're we going into _this _section?" he asked, unsurprised to find it deserted. "Do you really want to learn about sex?" he laughed.

Katie paused and swung around, a predatory glint in her eye. Inhaling, she said "Joe... what I'm about to do is _way_ more educational than any of the books on these shelves."

Then, suddenly, the serenity of the library was broken. There was a loud, resounding crash, several screams, and then nothing but total darkness. The screams wavered in and out as students ran by the library. The power had finally given out, and the entire school was now completely dark.

"Katie? Katie, are you there?!" Joe asked, reaching around wildly, feeling his heart beat violently after the huge shock. Katie pressed her warm body against his.

"I'm right here, Joe." she said, her voice remaining calm despite what just happened.

"We've gotta get out of here, they're probably gonna round up all the students in the Lunch Dome or something and --"

Before Joe could finish his sentence, he felt the roughness of Katie's lips against his.

_'This is perfect...' _she thought, her heart pounding. '_A power outage! I must have good karma or something...'_

"Mmph..." Joe squirmed as he was pushed against a wall. Katie kept kissing him, and unlike the night before, he didn't resist. He embraced her and pulled her into a long, wet, kiss.

"Joe..." she moaned, breaking apart their kiss.

"It's been a whlie since we've done _that, _huh?" Joe grinned in the darkness. The screams and voices had now faded completely, as most students were probably in the common areas of the school by now.

"I've missed it." Katie let her hands roam about his chest area as she continued to make out with him. "I've missed _you._"

Her hands stopped at the bottom of his shirt, and she began pulling it up slowly, letting her fingers stroke the bare skin of his stomach.

"Katie..." The teen started, before Katie pressed herself on him again.

"_Shhh. _We're stilll in the library." she moved her hands up and down his chest, both of their hearts pounding against one another.

Joe felt his heart skip a beat when he felt where her hands went for next - the waistline of his jeans. His eyes went hide in horror as she felt him fumbling with his zipper, eventually undoing it.

"Katie--_!" _Joe lowered his arms to try and stop hers. "What _are you--_"

Katie began to bite his lower lip, stopping him from talking. Joe felt her head move lower, and heard a couple of books fall off their shelves as she kneeled down.

"_Seriously, Katie!_" he hissed.

"Did you know," she said, as she tugged on his jeans. "That today is our six-month anniversary?"

"_Yes, _I was aware, but what the hell are you --"

"There's a certain rule, Joe." he heard her say through the darkness. "When you've been with someone for a round six months, you ... spice things up a bit." She tried to keep her voice even.

"Who made up _that _rule, and what do you mean by 'spice up'?" Joe said irritably. He was glad that it was too dark for her to see him blush.

"It's one of the unwritten laws of relationships! After you've been with your man for six months, you ... go down on them."

" 'Go down'? And that means you're going to..." he trailed off, but the awkward silence that followed was answer enough.

Katie tugged at the waistline of his boxers. "Yup. Off with 'em, now."

"What?! _No! _That's a dumb rule! We're ju-just ... not even that ... we..." Joe stammered, lunging for his boxers. "Is that what you've been after all this time? Someone to _go down _on? I'm not _Dan, _Katie!" His voice was streaked with anger.

"I know that, Joe! But every guy _wants _this eventually!"

"And how would _you _know? You're _not _a guy, and you can't tell me what _I _want!" he said angrily.

"Joe! _Trust me, _you want this." she said in a shaky voice. Her hand, as if moving of its own accord, wrapped itself around Joe's...

"_KATIE!!" _Joe had had enough - he pushed her away forcefully. "Can you freakin' stop?! Or do you have no respect for my wishes at all?!"

"Joee! Wait!"

"No! I'm leaving, Katie..."

"It's our six month anniversary!" Katie said desperately. She felt as if her stomach had become a botomless pit. Everything was going terribly wrong... "This was a _gift _for you! How can y... you can't just...!"

"What happened to a nice box of chocolates or something? We're _sixteen _years old! I'm not comfortable with ... with this!" Joe protested.

"Sixteen is old enough! This can be an _adult_ relationship, can't it? I mean... we've been together with six months!" She said tearfully, almost yelling.

"_I'm. Not. Dan."_ he repeated slowly and clearly, each word coming down on Katie like a sledge hammer. "Tell me the truth - what happened last night between you two?"

"Joe --"

"Was this all _his_ idea? Did het let you use him as a _practice dummy?!" _Joe demanded, cutting her off.

"I _love _you, Joe! I love you! I just wanted to show you that!" she said, her bottom lip trembling.

"There are other ways to show me that! What makes you think this is _love? _If your

"Guys usually..." her sentence trailed off into a small sob. "Come on, Joe... you'll enjoy it!" She moved forward again.

"You _really _don't get it, do you?" he said coldly.

"I love you!" she clung to his legs persistently.

"Who are you trying to convince, Katie? Me, or you?"

Katie said, in a shuddering voice, "I ... love you..."

Joe pulled his pants up and walked towards Katie, kneeling down. He gave her a hug, the silence punctured only by the pounding of the rain on the window.

"You really don't get it..." he said quietly. "Sorry."

Katie cried into his shoulder for a few seconds before pushing him away aggressively. "How can you even accuse me of fooling around with Dan?!" she asked. "How _dare _you! You hypocrite!"

"_What?!" _

"Oh _please. _Like you haven't fooled around with _Sacchun _before. I bet you let _her _go down on you!" she yelled.

Joe let out a loud groan of frustration. "_Not this again! _Seriously, Katie! That's _enough! _There isn't anything between me and Sacchun! There never _has been! _I don't _like _her! There's no way I'd ever consider her as anything more than a friend, but you just _can't get that through your head!"_

"Oh, I'm _so _sure! You _love _her, don't you, Joe?"

"You don't even know what love is." he stated coldly.

Katie let out a 'Ha!' of triumph, and said "So you _are _in love with her! You love Sacchun!"

"How does that -- It doesn't even... I'm not in love with her!" Joe yelled back.

"Who are you trying to convince, Joe?" Katie asked - her voice had stopped quivering, and was perfectly clear now. "Me, or you?"

Though it was pitch black, it felt as if they could see each others' determined faces perfectly.

"I'm sorry, Katie." Joe said with a note of finality in his voice.

"I'm ... sorry too, Joe." Katie replied. Both of their voices were even now. No more words were exchanged beyond that. Joe walked past her, found his way out, and left her in the darkness. She knew she ought to be sad, but something about what just happened had numbed her feelings. Tears streamed down her face, but she didn't feel a single one.

---

Alex sighed and slid a hand through his ruffled black hair as he held the doors to the gymnasium open. The other teachers had scattered through the school, rounding up any students they could find and sending them to the gym. The students sat with their schoolbags in small clusters. Some younger students were chasing each other or playing games in the dark. It had been extremely chaotic since the power went out - students had been running around, hiding in every nook and cranny of the school, and screaming for absolutely no reason. It had been a complete pandemonium.

"How is everything going, dearie?" Martha Sugar asked - she was the old, light-blue-haired woman who worked at the school as the head nurse. Everything about her made her seem like the stereotypical grandmother - from the little bun at the top of her head to the tiny spectacles that hung at the edge of her nose. She was kindhearted and caring, as well.

"Not bad, Martha." Alex sighed again. "Where is Theodore during all of this? He's the principal, I don't see why he isn't here helping us out. He said he was busy with something."

"He's probably contacting the electric company. I wonder, I wonder..." Martha put a finger to her chin, her eyebrows contracting in thought.

Mr. Frampton, the Biology teacher, joined them, with a group of ninth-graders. "In you go, then..." he said, and he and Martha stood aside to let them in.

"Chaos, isn't it, Alex?" Mr. Frampton asked, wiping his forehead. "Haven't seen a storm this big since I was out camping up north a few years back... Whooboy."

"Ah, Parsley..." Martha said fondly. "I can't imagine how these poor kids are going to get home."

"Theodore's apparently phoned in a couple of buses to come take them each home. I don't know he's going to get that organized, it's going to be one hell of a task." Mr. Frampton breathed.

"I wouldn't underestimate Theodore, dear." Martha said wisely. "He's gotten things done before, and though he may seem a bit... loopy, at times... this school is still up and running. I don't know or care what he does, the point is he does it well."

"True, true." Alex nodded.

"We're going to have a nasty bout of colds and flus if this weather keeps up... Bother, bother..." Martha trailed off, looking worriedly at the students.

Lloyd, Sacchun, Carl, Karen, Amber, and Erica were the next ones to be rounded up and brought to the gym. Lead by Mr. Espátula, they all entered the gym.

"Hello, Ronald." Martha greeted pleasantly.

"Hola, Mrs. Sugar." said Ronald.

Erica smiled at Martha. It was a well-known fact that Erica looked up to her, as she was always volunteering to help out at the Nurse's office. Erica's ambition was to be one day be a nurse.

The six students walked in and strayed from the teachers as quickly as possible.

"Exciting, huh?! A black-out! In the middle of school!" Carl said happily.

"Not _really..._" Amber said with a grunt. "I was in the middle of baking in the Home economics room, and the power just _had _to go out."

Erica sighed. "I could really go for a cup of hot chocolate right now."

"Hey, suggest that to Dr. Collins." Amber said, gesturing to Alex. "Maybe he can arrange it."

"I don't think they'd be able to make hot cocoa for all of us, Amber..." Erica pointed out.

Amber grinned. "Psh, you and your _logic..._"

"I'm a master at making hot chocolate!" Carl said proudly.

Lloyd was trying to catch Sacchun's eye, but she was busy scanning the darkness for any sign of Joe and Katie. Karen seemed to have absolutely no interest in the conversation (or in Lloyd), and was looking for her friends also.

"See Joe anywhere?" Sacchun asked Lloyd.

"Maybe Katie kidnapped him. Maybe they're both hiding in a dark room, getting it on or something." he teased.

"Yeah right, like they'd bother hiding to do that..." she rolled her eyes.

Lloyd laughed. "Good point." His eyes shifted uncomfortably to Karen, who was still paying no attention to him. She hadn't seen any sign of her friends either, so she simply hovered around Lloyd, not saying anything to either him or Sacchun. Carl and the two girls were still chatting animatedly about warm beverages. This went on for a good few minutes, before Dia and Kurt entered with a bunch of younger students, being herded in by Mr. Barrette.

"That man is _insane."_ they heard Dia say as the couple approached them.

"Seen your bro?" Sacchun asked immediately.

"No... My guess is that he and Katie are somewhere --"

"Making out? Getting it on? Yes, we've covered that already." Sacchun cut him off irritably.

"Ah. So you have. Hey Karen." he greeted. Karen waved back - the two of them and Kai had a band together, so they weren't exactly strangers.

"I..." she started slowly. Lloyd turned his attention to her. "...need a beer."

"Okay, then." Kurt said slowly. "You need a beer. What else is new?". Before anyone spoke again, there was suddenly a very audible meow that seemed to come from Dia.

"Oooh, did something just meow? Is there a kitty in here?" Carl looked around excitedly.  
Erica, on the other hand, looked worried. "Oh dear, maybe it wandered in here because of the rain."

Dia was trying to _subtly _cover her handbag. "What? No, no... I just meow sometimes."

"You .. meow sometimes?" Amber asked. She knew this Dia girl was odd, but this was really something else.

"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?" Dia glared.

"N-No..." the red-head turned way from Dia, looking somewhat spooked.

Dia and Kurt exchanged significant looks, before turning to Lloyd, Sacchun and Karen, who were looking at them very oddly.

"Anyway..." Kurt said, in an attempt to change the subject. "When do you think the power will come back on?"

"Hopefully never. Then maybe they'll cancel school tomorrow! And the day after!" Karen said hopefully.

"They wouldn't do that." Dia said flatly.

"Are you kidding? Have you seen how chaotic this place has been? I'd like to see the teachers deal with this kind of thing _everyday." _Karen laughed darkly. "It's a shame the power didn't go out during Nami's class..." she added as an afterthought.

"Oh, hey! There's Kai!" Kurt said, pointing at his trademark purple bandana. "Kai! Over here!"

Karen noticed that Dan and Popuri were with him. The pink-haired teen sauntered over to her.

"Karen!" she said happily.

"Hello, Popo!" Karen said with a broad smile.

"_Don't call me that, Kare-bear!" _Popuri hissed.

"Yeah, _Kare-bear._" Kai snickered behind them. Dan laughed.

Karen wagged her finger disapprovingly. "You boys don't have the right to call me that. It's a girls only thing." she stuck out her tongue.

Dan, who was taller than all of them, looked down at Lloyd, then at Karen. "Oh, you've been hanging out with your little boyfriend, huh?" he said to Karen, though his eyes were on Lloyd.

"Oh, shut up, Dan." Karen said irritably, rolling her eyes.

"Make me." he challenged.

"I would, but I really wouldn't want to embarass you in front of all these people." Karen smiled sweetly, batting her eyelashes. Kai began to laugh, but it didn't last long, as Dan shot a glare in his direction.

Lloyd looked between the two; Dan's face contorted in anger and he looked as if he wanted to hit Karen, who was simply staring back with flames dancing in her eyes.

"S'okay." Dan said casually. "Everyone knows what a little slut you are."

Amber, Erica, and Carl had all stopped talking.

"Whoa, calm down there, champ. I didn't think you'd take it that seriously." Karen said, frowning. Popuri looked worried. She hated to see her two best friends fighting... but if they did, she'd naturally take Karen's side.

"I'm just saying. I mean, how many times have you slept with him behind my back?" he jerked his thumb at Lloyd, who stood there, bewildered.

Dia scoffed. "Karen? Sleep with _Lloyd? _Yes, that sounds like a perfectly logical story." she said sarcastically.

"Shut it." Dan said, without even looking at her.

"Wow, Dan, did you forget to take your medication this morning or somethin'? Where were _you _for half the day anyway? Banging some random chick in the bathroom?" Karen provoked.

Dan smirked. "Maybe I wouldn't have to if you'd put out more often."

"Didn't you _just _say I was a slut? Make up your mind." retorted Karen.

Lloyd's heart was pounding uncomfortably with every word, it seemed as if Dan came closer and closer to rushing Karen. For a second, Lloyd thought he was about to, as he moved swiftly up to karen so that their faces were only an inch apart.

"Karen, seriously. Shut up." he said in an angry whisper. His breath wafted over to her face, and she wrinkled her nose.

"Are you _drunk?_" she asked in disgust. "At school?"

"Oh, look who's talkin'."

"Yeah, yeah, ignore the fact that I'm like the pot calling the kettle black here, but _seriously, _what did you drink? It smells disgusting." she backed away. She looked at Kai, expecting him to have some kind of explanation as to why Dan was so drunk, but he mearly shrugged his shoulders and shot a worried glance at Popuri, who wasn't much help either.

The darkness proved to be an advantage for Dan, for no one saw as his hand quickly wrapped itself around her wrist. In fact, no one would know at all if Karen hadn't exclaimed, "What the -- _let go of me!"_

Everyone turned in their direction, where Dan was holding Karen up roughly by the wrist.

"Dan, I wasn't kidding before. Don't make me kick your ass in front of all these people." she challenged.

"Dude, let go of her." Kai said. His comment went completely unnoticed by Dan.

Lloyd felt his heart beating. He had no idea what to do. Erica, Amber and Carl were both exchanging looks of concern.

Sacchun was the first one to actually take action. "_Hiiiiiyah!" _she exclaimed with great exaggeration. Her fist struck Dan squarely in the back, and he dropped Karen, who rubbed her wrist.

"Freakin' little..." Dan let out a string of curses, turning to Sacchun. Carl now seemed to be in a panic.

"Don't take a step further, Dan! Or I'll... I'll go get Dr. Collins!" he swung around, but to his horror, both he and Mr. Frampton were not present. Little old Martha was the only one standing against the door, supervising the students nearest to her. Things were really working out well for Dan today.

"Whatever, I don't care about her." he turned back to Karen. "...Actually, screw this. There's something I've wanted to do for a very long time." Dan swung around and faced Lloyd.

"You're goin' down, punk."

"What the --"

Lloyd never got a chance to say '_hell', _because Dan charged at him and swiftly punched him in the stomach.

"_Dan!!" _Karen shrieked, getting to her feet. Erica and Amber both screamed and moved out of the way, and several students turned to look at the burgeoning fight.

Kurt and Kai both jumped on Dan in an attempt to hold him back, and Karen joined the fray soon afterwards. She wrapped both her arms around his neck, but he was still able to land a few solid punches on Lloyd's face.

Lloyd's vision was blurred as he felt Dan's fist land like a solid ball of iron, each time on a different part of his face. He barely had the chance to lift his arms up in defense, and Dan kept pummelling away, giving Lloyd no opportunity to escape the beating.

Sacchun tried to get between them, and Dia and Carl had run off to see Martha. More students were watching now, some were screaming as the fight went on.

"_Dan! _No!" Kai yelled, trying to hold his arm back. Kurt was grunting as he did the same.

"You _god-damn MORON!!" _Karen yelled at the top of her lungs. She held both of her arms, one fist balled up and cupped by the other, over her head, and brought them down, crashing over Dan's head. He fell slowly, with a '_thud' _on the wooden gym floors, and Karen saw Lloyd's beaten figure, and the damage Dan had caused.

"No..." she whimpered, kneeling down next to him. His nose was bleeding, and his eye and cheek were swelling up quickly. "That _asshole._" she murmured.

Sacchun felt her heart pounding against her ripcage, her blood felt hot and she still had an adrenaline rush. She looked down at Dan with great disgust, and was tempted to just step on his face and break his nose. Before she could act out her violent fantasy, Carl and Dia showed up, this time being followed by Martha, Alex, and Gina, the secretary.

"Oh, dearie, dearie me..." Martha shook her head and seemed shocked at what happened. "This is terrible... what a mess..."

"Does he have to go to the hospital?" Carl asked worriedly.

Alex replied, "Probably. Not for long, though. A few days, maybe a week at most..." she said, sounding more annoyed than concerned. "Of all the days for this to happen... who knows when an ambulance will get here."

"We don't need an ambulance, Alex, just get him in a car and drive him off to the E.R." said Mr. Frampton, looking worriedly at Lloyd's bloody face.

"The hospital?" Sacchun asked, her voice oddly high-pitched. "Oh jeez..."

"I'll come with you guys!" Karen insisted. "It's my fault that this happened."

"It's not your fault, you shouldn't take the blame." Dia said crossly. "It's all _his _fault." She nodded in disgust at Dan's unconcious person.

"Yeah... but..."

"What are we going to do about him?" Popuri asked, looking down at Dan.

Alex looked over and sighed again. "What a mess... we need other teachers down here."

"His injury doesn't seem as serious..." Martha remarked. "He can be taken to the Nurse's office. Gina, if you will, dear?"

Gina nodded fervently, and with Popuri and Kai's help, they were able to lift Dan up and carry him out of the gym. Many students muttered and whispered as they walked by.

"Parsley..." Alex started tiredly. "Think you're up for driving him there?"

Parsley stood up. "I don't _want _to, but I don't have much of a choice, either. Well, he's my best student, and if anyone can brave this weather, I can." he puffed out his chest. "Alrighty then, leave it to me."

Karen looked down at Lloyd's bruised face with big, teary eyes. "Shit... I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

"What did I just tell you?" Dia interjected. Karen ignored her.

"I'm so sorry, Lloyd..." she looked down at him. His conciousness was slipping, and though all he had felt for the past ten minutes was pain, the sight of Karen's face seemed to ease it. This was the last thought he had, before everything around him went dark - or at least, darker than it already was.

---

Meg dashed inside the vestibule of the student building that she lived in. It was a little after one o' clock, and she wasn't surprised to see that none of the lights in the entire building were working. She let down the hood of her soaking jacket, which she had tried to pack as much of her long blonde her as she could into, and removed it, turning back to look outside. A thick mist hung above the entire street. It was almost eerie.

She walked over to the staircase, leaving large, muddy footprints in her wake, and sprinted upstairs to her room. Most of the city had lost power... she wondered what must be happening at school right about now. The storm would be keeping them there for a long time, unless some of them foolishly decided to brave it and try and walk home, like she just did. The walk was at least three times as long, and was more of a mad sprint. Meg had, once again, skipped school. She had been staying with her now-close friend, Lucy Clifford, who was actually supposed to be grounded. Thus, when her father walked in on them drinking, Meg had to make a desperate flight out the door.

She wondered whether she'd be able to sneak into her room - Sacchun's parents were still staying at their place. She couldn't risk meeting them, but she didn't know where else she could go if she couldn't get in.

Meg stopped in front of the door to their place, and saw a sock lying on the floor in front of it. The blonde pressed herself against the the door, waiting to hear any sounds that indicated that Sacchun's parents were still there. Upon hearing silence, she looked down at the sock, and came to the conclusion that they must be doing laundrey - which was eerily convenient for her. Turning the doorknob, she entered and tip-toed to her room, trying to avoid making any noticeable footprints.

She entered her room and immediately relieved her body of the heavy, wet raincoat that she borrowed off Lucy. She went and sat on her bed for a few minutes, recovering from her journey. She rubbed her eyes.

'_They're probably red again...'_ she thought to herself, getting up and looking at the mirror attached to her vanity. '_I really need to get more sleep...'_

Something caught her eye, which she was surprised she hadn't noticed before. Lying on her desk was a large and elaborately decorated paper cut-out of the letter 'L'. Lying on top of it was - her heart skipped a beat - the small plastic bag Lucy had given her as a 'birthday present'. It was still unopened.

Meg's heart was beating uncomfortably now. _'Someone was in here...'_ Her eyes scanned the room for more evidence to confirm her theory, and she saw something else that she couldn't believe she hadn't noticed before. Three more paper cut-outs were taped to the wall above her vanity mirror - B, F, and F.

Her mouths formed the words, '_Best friend for ...'_, and she looked down at the last paper cut-out, on her desk. '_life.'_

As she stood there, she felt a rush of guilt, shame, and regret. These little mini-breakdowns were becoming more and more common...

Then she noticed something else, something under the 'L'. It was a piece of looseleaf with Sacchun's shaky handwriting on it. She picked it up and read to herself.

'_Hi Meg. Okay, so I'm learning as I write this that it's pretty tough to turn emotions into words and sentences and stuff, but I'm going to try anyway. I don't even know where to begin... so I'll just say I'm sorry. I'm not entirely sure what I'm sorry for yet, this whole situation is kinda messed up, but I'm sorry. We haven't spoken in a long time, and the gap between us is pretty big by now, I'm guessing, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry and it's not too late, okay? It's really not too late, and I'm sure things are going to be okay. I really haven't been a great friend, but remember ... we're still BFFL, got it?'_

A cute smiley-face ended the letter. Tears had leaked from Meg's eyes without her even noticing. Suddenly, a new emotion overcame her. Was it relief? Was it just hearing someone say 'It's going to be okay', that made her feel like this? She felt a rush of emotions and sat down on her bed again, holding her head in her arms. It was simply too much. She was too deep now... _it is too late. _Even in her own thoughts, she felt lost. She felt her thoughts form and then slip away again. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't - or was she already crying? She couldn't even tell anymore. The entire world felt like it was a few steps ahead of her.

Meg looked miserably at the 'L', and wondered why it hadn't been put up. Her question was answered by the small bag sitting on top of it.

'_Oh god... she thought I was... she thought I'd take the drugs?!' _Meg hated herself for being so careless and leaving them out. _'Sacchun must have thought that I... I actually took them!' _

She couldn't blame her. Meg still remembered how close she was to taking them, the night of her birthday. But she stopped herself - she made the _right _decision... but even so, it still backfired on her. It wouldn't have even made a difference if she had taken them or not - Sacchun saw them, and now she hated her. That was it. _It was too late. _

Unaware of her own body moving, Meg ripped off a few pieces of masking tape, took the 'L' from under the bag, and taped it next to the 'F', completing the arc that spelled out 'BFFL'.

She stood back and looked at it, unsure what to think, unsure what to feel. _It was just too late._


	43. Replacement & Recovery

**// Author's Note: **Ah, Exams are over. And I'm now officially an uncle. So yes, as you can guess, quite a bit has happened to me recently - which is why I hope you'll excuse the late chapter. But this one's interesting, oh yes, it is. Or at least, I hope it is. Thanks for the reviews, as always! Enjoy! **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 42: Replacement & Recovery

'_Oh, what a blessed thing it is, the weekend.' _Nami thought tiredly, as she entered the staff room after a painful Friday. She dropped her bag next to the chair behind her desk, and collapsed into it. The only other teachers present were Doug Starre, the culinary teacher, and Terry Barrette, the history teacher.

She bent down to pull out a pile of papers from her bag, and dumped them down on her desk with an irritable sigh. The size of the pile would usually indicate that it had at least one class's worth of work - however, this pile was _all _the work she had recieved from _all _her classes that week. Many of the students, it seemed, hadn't even bothered handing it in. Whether this was some kind of rebellious teenage act, or just typical reenage laziness, she didn't know, or care.

'_They're the ones who are going to fail. It's got nothing to do with me...'_ she thought as she bent her head over the papers and started to correct them. '_Once these are out of the way, I can enjoy the rest of my weekend without even thinking of those little devils.' _

Terry was busy polishing his gun, the one that was never loaded. He loved that gun, and probably wouldn't let anything come between them. There was a gentle squeaking sound as he rubbed the cloth back and forth over the metal. Doug was sipping from his mug of coffee (that had the words '#1 DAD' on it) and was flipping lazily through the pages of a recipe book.

This would be a very tranquil atmosphere to anyone, but not Nami. The soft squeaking sound accompanied by the soft ruffle of pages from the recipe book were driving her mad and giving her a headache. The fact that she was pouring over several badly written essays didn't help. She let out an irritable sigh that sent her bangs flying up.

"I'm sorry, but _must _you do those things here, in the staff room?" Nami asked sharply, after feeling like her patience had been chewed up and spit out. Terry gave her a glare and mumbled something about 'no respect for their elders' and Doug's bushy eyebrows contracted in a frown.

"I'm sorry if I'm - er, _disturbing_ you." Doug said, still frowning.

Nami didn't respond and returned to her papers as Doug and Terry exchanged significant looks before getting up and leaving, deciding to avoid a pointless argument. Welcoming the silence that followed their departure, Nami realised she was about half way through her papers.

Her work was interrupted by a mug being placed next to her. Looking up, she found herself staring into the kind face belonging to Alex.

"Thought you might want some coffee." he said kindly, pushing the mug forward slightly.

"Huh?" Nami seemed mildly confused at first before taking the warm mug in her hand. "Thanks."

"Looks like you're almost done!" Alex said enthusiastically, looking at the now-much-thinner pile of papers on her desk.

"I didn't have much to do anyway. I barely even started." she droned as she continued to correct.

"Well, it's always good to get it out of the way before the weekend." He sat back in a chair next to Nami and relaxed, sipping his own mug while letting Nami finish her work in peace. The soft breathing and occasional sips of coffee from Alex weren't as bothersome to Nami.

"I see you've been letting your hair loose again. I think I can see a few grey ones." he chuckled. Nami shot a glare at him.

"_Why _should I bother making myself presentable for these little devils?!" she demanded, not bothering to keep her voice down, seeing as she doubted anyone was there to overhear them anyway.

"Ah, and here comes the usual rant." Alex put his hands together and crossed his legs to mock her.

"Well, I'm sorry, but _you _try doing my job! It freakin' blows!" Nami said loudly.

He sighed and ruffled his hair out of habit. "As you remind me very, very often."

"These hairs aren't turning grey on their own, you know!" she exclaimed. To her fury, Alex chuckled again. Letting out a drawn out, irritated sigh, she returned to her work.

"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked.

"Waiting."

"For me?"

"Who else?"

Nami let out another irritated sigh. "You are just... ugh."

"I was thinking we could go somewhere for coffee or something after you're done." he offered. "You haven't gone out much since you've come here. I figured you'd want to see more of the town!"

"Well, I've been busy." The red-haired teacher grumbled. "Besides, aren't we drinking coffee right now?" She quirked an eyebrow.

"Okay, okay. But there's no harm in having fun while you're down here!" he adjusted his position on the chair and his arm brushed against a small stack of pamphlets and brochures, which, as a result, fell to the ground. Leaning over to scoop them up, he read aloud, "_Forget-Me-Not Valley? _Ah... you're planning ahead for this year's field trip."

Nami glared at the doctor and he set the brochures and pamphlets on her desk, neatly. "Yes, though with every passing day, I am more and more tempted to just cancel the whole thing." She opened a binder and slipped the now-corrected essays into it. "It's going to be a _nightmare. _I can't supervise them _in _the damn classroom, how am I supposed to do so in a whole other city? For _three days_?!" she snapped.

"There will be other teachers, Nami."

"Yes, but Manna's left _me _with the responsbility of planning the whole thing! Why couldn't she have asked another teacher, one who's actually _done _this before?"

Alex shrugged, though he had a feeling he knew why. "You're a native of Forget-Me-Not." he said simply. "I guess Manna figured you could handle it."

"Well, _none _of the other teachers have offered help with this whole thing." She growled through barred teeth.

Alex's mouth curved into a wry smile. It was true that Nami Linette was not extremely popular with the rest of the staff; the kind and professional weather lady of FBTV was much more irate and querulous in person. The warm hand that many of the staff had extended in welcome had been refused, and that did not earn Nami any quick popularity points. "I'll tell you what," he started. "I'll help you out with it. Gina's coming, too - that's the secretary," he added, noticing Nami's eyebrow quirk at the sound of th ename. "I'm sure I can convince the other teachers to lend a hand. It's not in their nature to be so detached from a project this big. I should contact Lyla, too, she loves to help out with this... I haven't seen her around lately, actually..."

Nami's waning attention snapped back to Alex at the sound of Lyla's name. Seeing as it had been such a long time since she saw the pink-haired girl, and since she now had an _extensive _knowledge of how terrifying students can be, she had subconciously decided that the whole affair with her had to have been some kind of cryptic prank.

"Well, speak of the devil!" Alex exclaimed. The door had opened silently and Lyla had slid into the room, holding a suitcase in one hand and a frilly pink umbrella under her arm.

"You shouldn't talk behind the backs of others, Mr. Collins." she said, her eyes twinkling.

Alex laughed and replied, "We weren't actually talking about you. Ms. Linette here is just looking for someone to help with this year's Forget-Me-Not field trip."

Lyla turned to Nami, who's heart had started to pound the second she had made her abrupt entrance. "Is that so."

"Y-Yes." Nami stammered. She tried to recover herself - though she was _certain _that Lyla was just some prankster who thought she could manipulate teachers, seeing and speaking to her in person was _much _more intimidating; Nami had forgotten how confident and strong her voice sounded. It had a certain quality to it that made her seem a lot more powerful than she actually was. "Yes... This trip is turning out to be a much bigger affair than I first assumed. I'd hate to have to ask you for help, but anyone who can lend a helping hand would..." She trailed off. Lyla had that ever-present smile plastered on her face, and her eyes were, as always, nearly closed. With this somewhat robotic expression, it was hard to talk to her and be sure she was listening.

"I'd be happy to help." Lyla said, "But I'm afraid I must take a little trip." She held up the suitcase.

"A trip? At this point in the school year?" Alex looked surprised.

"I assure you, I would not be taking it if it were not absolutely necessary." What little of Lyla's eyes you could see were twinkling again. "I just hope the school can survive without me!"

She and Alex laughed, but Nami only stared. She was sure that what Lyla had just said was much more than a joke.

"Well, I just thought I should inform you all of my departure. I assumed that there'd be more than just you two here..." Lyla's half-closed eyes scanned the room. "I really better be going. Say good-bye to everyone else for me, Mr. Collins! Oh, and best of luck to you, Ms. Linette." She turned her gaze on Nami and let it linger for a moment, before turning on her heel and leaving the room with a swish of her lurid pink hair.

Alex settled back into his chair. "Wonder what she's going for..."

"Family emergency?" Nami suggested, packing her stuff up carefully. Her heart-rate was returning to a normal pace, and she found it very hard to be intimidated by Lyla when not being confronted with her confident, smooth voice and her dominating personality.

"I don't know." Alex shook his head. "Oddly enough, we have very little records on Lyla's family."

This gave Nami another mental shock. "Mysterious, isn't she?"

"She's a model student, always been there to help, never given anyone any trouble, never fallen ill... The teachers have had no reason to ever contact her family. The only people responsible for having that kind of information are me, Gina and Theodore."

"And you're saying that you have very little of that information."

Alex got up as well. "It's odd, but like I said, we've never had any reason to have to contact her family."

"Makes you think, doesn't it." Nami frowned darkly. "She must be able to get away with anything." Memories from her first meeting with Lyla Hartley came flooding back.

_"...Theodore may be considered the 'Principal', but that is simply a title. Who do you think controls everything behind the scenes? Who tells him what to do, organises all the events, runs the school? You're talking to her right now, Ms. Linette."_

"The way I see it, is that if Theodore doesn't concern himself with these things, there's no reason to concern ourselves with it. Say what you will about him as a person, but as a principal he has lead this school with very few difficulties." said Alex, as he took a last sip from his mug.

_ "You didn't really think that this school could keep running so smoothly with that idiot in charge. This might sound a tad cynical," she paused. "...But he is no more than a puppet to me!" _

Nami paused, staring at nothing in particular for a few moments. She felt like she was part of something big here, yet she could not find her place in whatever plan Lyla had for her. This whole situation was beyond odd, was lacking logic, and was reeking of something surreptitious and devious.

"Perhaps... Maybe Lyla's more than a mere student." She had not told a soul of Lyla's supposed 'true status' (and even if she did, who would believe her?), but she figured it was time to come clean. She was hoping that once she relayed this interesting bit of news to Alex, he would just laugh, shrug it off, and tell her that it _was _some kind of prank.

"What do you mean?"

"Alex, there's something I should _probably _have told you." She could tell this was going to be a very interesting discussion.

---

"Pumpkin, when was the last time you went grocery shopping?" Mr. Yachiko called, digging through the pantry in Sacchun's kitchen.

Sacchun, who was in the living room watching TV, called back, "Dad! I just went grocery shopping this week! You keep eating everything!"

"Honestly, Yukio! You eat as if you've never seen food before! Just sit down and keep your mind off dinner, for once!" scolded Mrs. Yachiko, who was sitting next to her daughter. "And Sasha, pull your shirt down! Have you noticed you're getting a bit of a tummy?!"

"_Mom!" _Sacchun exclaimed, tugging on the bottom of her shirt.

Mrs. Yachiko scowled. "Don't you '_Mom' _me! It's all these videogames you've been playing."

Sacchun grumbled and amused herself with the thought of what Ruby Lee's avid fans would say if they saw her acting like a normal, everyday mother.

"First thing tomorrow morning, we're going jogging." Her mother informed her. "Better be up and ready to go by six a.m., Sasha."

Sacchun gaped. "Six in _the morning?!" _she exclaimed, as if just finding out that time of day existed.

"Yes, six _in the morning._" Mrs. Yachiko's lips formed a small smile. "You need to work up your appetite, anyway. Your father and I have decided to treat you and however many friends you want to bring along to dinner, seeing as we _are _leaving on Sunday."

"Really?" Sacchun was taken aback by this sudden act of kindness. "Well... I... can invite anyone?"

"Dinner?" Mr. Yachiko poked his head out from behind the doorway to the kitchen.

"Yes. Your friends are all very nice people." Mrs. Yachiko pointedly ignored her husband. "And you've treated _us _to several meals during our stay. We're your parents, we shouldn't have you paying for us... we're not _that _old yet." She laughed.

Sacchun beamed. "Well, I think I'm going to hit the sack."

"Goodness me, It's nearly half past ten..." Mrs. Yachiko yawned mechanically. Sacchun decided not to mention that she usually stayed up much later when playing videogames with her friends, but her parents staying with her for the past week had forced her sleeping pattern into that of a regular girl her age. After saying their usual goodnights, Sacchun walked down the hallway leading to her room. She slipped into her pyjamas and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth. On her way there, however, she turned suddenly, and looked at the door to Meg's room. It was open - just barely enough for her to see into it. As if possessed by some greater force, she slowly turned the knob. The door opened slowly, revealing Meg's dark room, and Sacchun stopped. For a split second, she had expected Meg's desk lamp to be on, and to find her sitting at it, flipping rapidly through whatever book she had just borrowed from the library. This lapse of memory disappeared as quickly as it had come, and the dark seed of guilt and fear that had been planted in Sacchun's mind expanded like a heavy gas within a container.

Moving forward mechanically, Sacchun didn't need to turn on the lights to notice a significant difference since the last time she had visited. At first she didn't entirely understand what had happened, and she definitely was not ready for the rush of emotions that came a second later. She looked up at the arc she had started the last time she was here, and noticed it was complete. The '_L' _she had neglected to put up had been added, ever so carefully, to complete the phrase.

Sacchun wasn't entirely sure what to make of this. Did she dare to get her hopes up? Was it really Meg who had done this? Was this her way of telling her that all hope was not lost? That after all this time, they still were...

Again, as if her body was acting of its own accord, Sacchun kneeled down and glanced under Meg's bed. The only thing there was a rough black case that was oddly familiar. Pulling it out by its handle, Sacchun set the case on the bed and unbuckled it gently. The top lifted easily, and though it was exactly what Sacchun had expected to see, she still felt almost startled to see it after so long. Looking down at it, she smiled. She let her finger stroke the surface of the wooden instrument, leaving a smooth trail through the layer of dust that lay on it.

Sacchun looked up at the wall, the four letters staring at her brightly, despite the room being in total darkness. She felt her mind relax, the poisonous gas that had filled it moments ago was subsiding, turning into a cool, soothing mist.

'_Best friends... for life.'_

_---_

The pounding on the door got louder with every passing second as Joe made his way to the door. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" he yelled.

He turned the doorknob and the door swung open to reveal the Karen's foot suspended in mid-kick.

"Were you... just trying to kick down my door?" Joe asked incredulously.

The blonde lowered her foot and let herself in. "Maybe if you would _answer the door _when people knock."

"It took me like, thirty seconds!"

"I'm impatient!"

"I can tell!"

The two stopped their banter and stared at each other for a few seconds. "He's -"

"Where's Lloyd?" Karen asked quietly.

"He's in his room, still resting. He only got back tonight, after all." Joe replied.

"You been taking care of him?" She asked, removing her light coat and taking off her shoes.

Joe smiled. "Of course." He lead her to Lloyd's room and knocked on the door. "Hey dude, there's someone here to see you."

"Who is it?" called Lloyd's weak voice.

"I dunno, some hook-_urgh! _That _hurt!_" Joe exclaimed as Karen's well-timed kick in the back of his leg kept him from finishing his sentence. "I mean, It's just Karen."

Lloyd mumbled something, which Joe took as his approval, and pushed the door open lightly. Lloyd was sitting up, looking significantly better than when he had been taken to the hospital because of his broken nose (and several other bruises and cuts). He had a book propped up on his lap, a tall glass of water and a forest 'Get Well Soon' cards on his bed-side table. Karen walked in and he looked up and tried to give her a reassuring smile.

"I'm okay now." he said, before she could even open her mouth. "It's not that bad." His voice sounded oddly constricted because of the plaster around his nose.

"Is this a cue for me to take my leave before something romantic happens that I'd rather not witness?" Joe asked jokingly. In all honesty, Lloyd wanted Joe to stay - if anything, he was there to diffuse any and all awkwardness that might arise between him and Karen.

Karen shot him a glare and he shut up, but remained in the room. "Well," she said, turning back to Lloyd. "I guess it's pointless to ask you how you're doing then." She forced out a small smile.

"I was able to speak to my parents in the hospital. They're taking care of the fees, but they're... well, _livid _about what happened."

"They're not the _only _ones." Karen growled. "If I see Dan again, he's a dead man."

Lloyd said nothing. He knew he shouldn't, but he felt slightly guilty, as if it was his fault that their relationship had come to such an abrupt end. It was just in his nature.

"He's been suspended, for like, two or three weeks." Joe informed them. "And it's all anyone's really been talking about lately."

Karen scoffed. "He should have been _expelled! _I mean, it's not like suspension will teach him anything. Come on, I'm _living proof _that the suspension system doesn't work!"

Lloyd smiled. "If it's okay, I'd rather not talk about Dan right now..."

"Right... Well, just so you know, he and I are over. There's _no _way I'd still be with him after what he did. He was such a freakin' jerk." Karen's voice was reduced to a mutter by the end of her sentence. Following it was another uncomfortably awkward silence.

"So..." Joe started. "How about that Nami Linette, huh?"

Karen jumped on the subject immediately. Lloyd found it amusing how comforting it was to hear Joe and Karen's increasingly violent fantasies involving the poor english teacher. He found it hard to contribute to the conversation, and part of that was due to the fact that now, more than ever, he could not keep his eyes off Karen. Her fiery personality, full of energy and passion, was amazingly genuine. Nobody was perfect, Karen acknowledged that and knew that she wasn't perfect, which, in a way, made her actions and thoughts even more sincere and genuine. Dan had taken her for granted, and Lloyd knew that had he been in his position, he would not have made that dire mistake...

"... and then throw her remains in a furnace." Joe finished his most recent attack on Nami, which ended with Karen laughing heartily.

Something suddenly jolted inside Lloyd's stomach. It was something he had been fighting to restrain ever since Karen had walked into the room. Something he did not _dare _let out. But... he didn't know how long he could hold it in. If he let it out... the consequences would be dire. They would be _worse _than dire. They would be fatal.

He couldn't hold it in anymore. Clutching his stomach, he sensed his impending doom as a growl escaped it. That was it - his fate was sealed.

"Are you... hungry?" Karen asked, her expression brightening.

"N-No." Lloyd said quickly, unable to conceal a second growl from his stomach. Joe stared at Karen as if she was something out of a horror film.

"You _are! _Well, you're lucky I'm here, Lloydy, 'cause I've been looking for someone to sample my most recent recipe!" she clapped her hands together, and Joe turned to his friend with a look of pure horror on his face.

"It's okay, Karen, really! I'm not _that _hungry, I had something to eat before you came, honest..." Lloyd's string of stammered words went unnoticed by Karen.

"Joe, to the kitchen!" She leapt to her feet and dashed out of the room, grabbing Joe along with her, and leaving Lloyd to savour the last precious moments of his life.

Karen threw herself into their cupboards and fridge and began putting together a sandwich. "It's just a sandwich, right, Joe? How hard can it _be? _If those lunch ladies at our school can do it, I'm sure I can do it ten times better."

Joe didn't know what to do. She had gone into a cooking trance, and nothing could penetrate it. "Um, Karen, you aren't supposed to put _that _much mustard..." he said weakly, watching her drench the slices of bread in the yellow condiment.

"Joe, where do you keep your lunch meats?" she began digging through the fridge once more. "Ooh, baking chocolate and garlic? Does Lloyd like those on his sandwiches?" She asked, examining the items in turn.

Joe muttered a silent prayer for his dear friend.

Fifteen minutes later, the door to Lloyd's room swung open and his doom - or rather, Karen - walked towards him, holding a tray with a sandwich and a tall glass of juice. He examined it with all of his senses before daring to take a bite. Surprisingly, its presentation was remarkably ... presentable. This was new for one of Karen's dishes. However, looks can be deceiving.

"Go ahead, no need to hold back." Karen smiled. Lloyd was about to open his mouth and tell her he wasn't _that _hungry, when his stomach betrayed him yet again and let out a low growl. "I know I'm not the best cook, Lloyd, but I've really been trying lately." She said, her voice full of determination. "The school's annual cooking contest is this week, and I've been working on my cooking skills. I've improved! At least, I think. My cat didn't throw up the last dish I gave him, so I think that's a definite sign of improvement." She said with a wry smile.

Lloyd smiled back, feeling his sudden attraction to Karen rise up inside him again. Without even noticing, he lifted the sandwich to his mouth and took a bite. Joe was wincing behind Karen, as if expecting Lloyd to sprout tentacles.

"So?" Karen asked, her eyes focused on Lloyd's facial expression. He chewed it slowly, and was amazed to find that it tasted good. Mustard... Smoked meat... It really wasn't that bad. "Wow, Karen. This _is _an improvement... Maybe you'll be able to win that cooking contest after all." Then, as he took a second bite, he knew that it was too good to be true. _'Onions... and... garlic... and... baking chocolate?!' _he felt his senses spin and he tried his hardest to swallow without wincing.

"You really think so?!"

"Yup... You... have a really, _really, _good chance." He said, struggling to swallow the rest of his bite.

"I'm so happy! This is the first time someone's complimented my cooking! Now eat up, Lloyd, and I'll go make some soup for you or something!" She leapt up with the sudden energy of a kid about half her age and dashed back to the kitchen.

'_That poor, poor man.'_ Joe thought as he leaned against the door with a grimace. '_Maybe he'd be better off having a second round with Dan...'_

---

The microwave beeped and Nami opened it, taking out the bowl of pasta she had just warmed up. She was in her pyjamas, her hair was still wet and frizzy from the shower she had just taken, and she had her cordless phone wedged between her ear and her shoulder.

"So, Alex?" she said into it, walking over to the living room of her small appartment.

"I checked the student records, with Gina's help. There really isn't much information on her." he said. He was sifting through a cabinet in his own appartment, looking through his own personal records. He let out a sigh. "I still find this whole thing rather farfetched."

Nami completely understood his skepticism. "How do you think I felt? The point is... There's _something _about her, and we need to find out!"

"Why, if I may ask?"

"Because I don't need another thing keeping me up at night and contributing to my grey hair count." she said grimly. Alex responded with a laugh.

"Look, I've got to go... It's really getting late." he said.

Nami sighed and plopped herself down on the couch. "That's okay, just tell me if you find anything tomorrow, okay?"

"Will do." Alex replied. "Good night. Try to get some sleep."

"Will do." She mimicked him. "Night."

He hung up, and she flicked on the TV, spearing several pieces of pasta on to her fork and lifting them to her mouth. _'The News on FBTV would be finishing just about now,' _she said, glancing at the digital clock on her VCR. Ever since Nami had left, they had replaced her temporarily with the ditzy weather girl, who clearly had no idea what she was doing and made mistakes frequently. She flipped through the channels, finally landing on FBTV.

What she saw made her drop her fork, and her jaw. A familiar smile, nearly-closed eyes, and vivid pink hair were burning themselves into her vision as she stared at the TV screen.

_" -- And this is Lyla Hartley replacing Nami Linette, signing out from her first day as the brand new anchorwoman of FBTV News. Goodnight, everybody!" _


	44. Paradise Orchard

**/ Author's Note: **Wellllllll. What can I say? I think this is the longest time you've had to wait between chapters. That's not a particularly good record to break, is it? Of course, I'm really really sorry! Imagine my apology to be about the size of a small city. As for my excuse - what can I say? It takes so much willpower to get a chapter out during school! And ... well, Let's just say, my characters aren't the only ones with friend problems. This chapter was actually supposed to include two different events, but I cut it down to half because I was _not _getting anywhere with it (I started writing it in February, and I just finished it tonight - in _June.) _and I think you guys would prefer getting a slightly cut-down chapter now than a longer one in like, October.

This chapter was frustrating to write because I spent so much time away from HH, so getting back into it was hard. I'm _never _taking another break that long! I promise that much. I kept forgetting important details, and had to reread a few chapters to get things flowing again. Even so, this chapter might not be completely coherent in some parts, and I'll have to revise it sometime. But here it is, anyway, and let's hope I can get back to regularly updates!

And lastly, I can't express my thanks for the people who have stuck with this fanfic for so long, and who still review asking for more. I feel terrible for letting you all down so often. No more five-month hiatuses, I promise! **End Author's Note / **

Chapter 43: Paradise Orchard

"... _and _a side-order of baked potatoes with sour cream. Or do I want fries? Are fries included with my meal? If so, then stick with the baked ... oh, you know what? Just get me both." concluded Mr. Yachiko, smiling broadly at the young, bewildered waiter. He repeated everyones' orders (needless to say, it took a while to list all of Mr. Yachiko's) and walked off. "What a nice boy, he was, that Donovan."

"Dad, he didn't even _tell _us his name." Sacchun remarked, rolling her eyes. She, her parents, Lloyd, Joe, Carl, Kurt and Dia were all seated at a long table at _The Paradise Orchard, _a lavish restaurant with a dignified ambience. The lights above were dimmed, and the walls were garnished with climbing plants and fine pieces of art. Sacchun turned back to her friends, a slight grin on her face.

"Whenever we eat out, my dad likes to take advantage of what I like to call the... '_Married-to-a-very-rich-superstar Discount'._" She said in a low, playful voice. Carl, who was next to her, laughed. Across from her, Lloyd was sitting next to her mother and explaining the whole ordeal he had gone through that had ended in his broken nose, which was now covered in plaster.

"I keep telling those writers that we need to turn to the youth of today for our movie plots! I mean, really, your whole tale was more thrilling than half the things they come up with..." She had said, picking at the appetizer plate of fried calamari in front of her with her fork.

Joe was on the other side of Lloyd, next to Kurt who was across from Dia. They were engaged in their own discussion about happenings at school.

"Dan _must _be brought to justice." Dia said harshly, ripping apart a piece of bread a little more roughly than she had intended. "Suspension isn't enough."

"This isn't his first offense. Can't they expel him or something?" Kurt asked, accepting the other half of the bread roll.

"He's the worst kind of man." she said, through a mouthful of bread that she had stuffed in her mouth in a very un-lady-like manner. Having witnessed the whole event, she almost felt as if she had been personally assaulted by him."Inimical, impetuous, inane, and idiotic."

"Can we derail from this particular conversation topic? I mean, if it's okay with you two. I'm sure talking about _Dan _is a blast and everything, but y'know." Joe jabbed a finger in Lloyd's direction, clearly indicating that his friend probably didn't want to talk about his attacker at the moment. Luckily, Lloyd was either in such a deep conversation with Mrs. Yachiko that he did not notice the conversation behind him, or he was just pretending with all his might not to hear them.

"Well, _little brother,_" Kurt turned gravely to Joe. "If we're going for another topic, what about the sudden end to your relationship with Katie Bellevue?"

Sacchun, who had her head twisted around to see if she could spot a waiter carrying their food, turned around with such abruptness that she knocked over the salt shaker.

"Who? What? You... Katie?" Sacchun's poorly constructed phrase escaped her mouth before her mind fully registered what Kurt had said. Lloyd and Mrs. Yachiko had also turned, in curiosity, towards Joe, who was feeling as if a very bright spotlight had just been shone on him.

"You never did tell me the whole story." Lloyd remarked.

"Katie didn't mention it to me, either." Carl said, as she was his fellow employee at Callaway Cafe. Mrs. Yachiko had put her hands together and was staring at Joe as well, polite enough not to hound him with personal questions, but clearly interested in the story.

"O-On second thought, talking about Dan is fine with me..." Joe said, his voice cracking. He managed a small smile, which quickly fell from his face as he caught Lloyd's pointed glare.

"It's really not _that _exciting... I mean, nothing... really..." he trailed off.

"Who dumped who?" Dia asked bluntly.

"Uh? Well, that's a difficult question ... not something you can answer easily." Joe mumbled.

Kurt smirked, turned from Joe to the rest of the group and said, "Allow me to translate: _she _dumped _him._" This comment was received with wry smiles from the group, and a glare from Joe.

"Trust me, it wasn't anything like that. It's... complicated. And a little embarassing." he said sheepishly.

"Oh, now I simply _must _know what it is about this tale that makes it so hard to recount." Mrs. Yachiko spoke at last. Lloyd had a feeling that she was speaking on behalf of her daughter, who was sitting in silence, frowning at Joe and waiting patiently for the story. Joe looked around the table and sighed, defeated.

"Well, last week, during that power outage...", and he reluctantly launched into the story of his misadventure through the school. The others listened in silence. Kurt's smirk had vanished and left his face looking rather vacant. Joe concluded his story with a long, breathy sigh and Lloyd had the impression that, despite Joe's reluctance, he probably felt better to have it all out in the open and off his chest.

"That... that _is _quite a tale." Mrs. Yachiko said, her lips pursed.

"I never expected Katie to be so... forward." Carl said.

"I _did. _I mean, are we thinking of the same Katie, here?" snapped Dia.

Kurt let out a low whistle, leaning back in his chair. "It's okay, Joe. You can do _much _better. There are plenty of fish in the- "

"Fish?!" Mr. Yachiko perked up and was, for the first time, fully paying attention to the conversation. "The fish arrived? Where is it?!"

Kurt and Lloyd continued to reassure Joe, Dia continued to abuse Katie with various insults, and Carl sat in shock, as if the image he had had of his co-worker had been shattered forever. Joe's eyes and attention, however, were on Sacchun, searching her face in an attempt to discern her thoughts. She had not yet said a word since Joe had finished his story.

"Of course, this means you're single again." Lloyd stated plainly.

"And I don't plan on that changing for a while." Joe shook his head. "No more crazy relationships for me."

"You musn't let one bad experience keep you from dating again, Joe." Dia said crisply. "You never know when things start looking up for you. And you never _will _know unless you do something about it - and when you do, I think it's safe to say your regrets will be minimal, at best." Everyone stared at her for a few moments. Mrs. Yachiko looked pleased, or at least, amused, with Dia's words. Kurt's mouth was hanging open, a piece of bread in his hand, which was frozen in mid-air in its path to his mouth.

"I'm just going to stay away from the crazy girls for a while." Joe said defensively.  
"Avoiding crazy girls at Flowerbud High is like trying to avoid water in an ocean." Lloyd laughed, and was soon joined by Kurt and Joe.

"Hey, that's not fair! You guys are _always _pinning the blame on the _girl, _as if it's _her _fault that the relationship ended! If a _guy _ends it, it's high-fives all around, but if the _girl _ends it, Oh yes, she _must _be crazy." Dia protested.

"...But Dia, Katie _was _crazy." Kurt pointed out.

"...Well...There's an exception to every rule, Kurt! And don't contradict me again!" she said sharply, resulting in more laughter from the guys. "Katie's just... a_ special _exception. Right, Sacchun?"

Sacchun had been uncharacteristically silent. "Yeah.", she said nonchalantly.

Mrs. Yachiko, perceptive as any mother, decided to do her daughter a favour. "Well, then. Sasha, how has school been going, lately?" The words escaped her before she could fully consider the consequences. She had been trying to change the subject, but somehow she doubted that this one would be much better...

"Oh? Fine." Sacchun's curt answer confirmed her mother's doubts.

"Ah, yes," Mr. Yachiko twisted his head around from over his shoulder, and decided to pay attention to his daughter rather than the kitchen doors. "You've been tutoring her regularly, right, Leonard?"

Joe was still laughing, and took a few moments to realise that Mr. Yachiko was addressing him. "Oh - uh, yes. Yes, I have."

"Good, good. Sasha always _struggled, _you see, so we always thought she'd be more successful studying at my academy, back home. Where we could ... keep an eye on her studying... habits." He said, with the air of a teacher rather than one of a parent.

'_Ai-yai-yai...' _Mrs. Yachiko rubbed her temples. '_What did I start?' _When it came to discussions about school, Mr. Yachiko had the habit of making things worse, as he often imposed his views as a principal rather than his views as a father.

"Uh... I see." Joe said, unsure of how to respond. He looked at Sacchun, who was staring pointedly at one of the decorative plants on the wall.

"Of course, it's always important for the parents to have an active role in their children's education, but, well, you know Sasha -", His mouth folded into a grimace, " - She's very hard-headed."

"Now, dear, you _know_ she was promised the best education at Flowerbud High. For a public school, it has one of the highest ratings, you know." Mrs. Yachiko said. This did not seem to derail Mr. Yachiko's speech.

"If we had it _our _way, she'd be at my academy, under the constant watch of me and the other teachers..."

Sacchun's expression darkened. She silently prayed for the food to arrive soon, to serve as a distraction.

"After all, I don't know what the disciplinary policies are in this school, what with that friend of yours staying out all night and peoples' noses getting broken and such. Letting students live on their own, honestly, I'd love to know whatever they were drinking when _that _idea was conceived..."

"Dear, should we order another appetizer? Or perhaps a salad to --"

"You, Antonio," Mr. Yachiko gestured to Joe, remaining unaware of his wife's attempt. "How often do you tutor her?"

"Uh - "

"Well?" Demanded Mr. Yachiko. The rest of the party was watching, fascinated at the sudden change in the gluttonous man. It wasn't so hard to imagine him as a principal when he was like this.

"About - About twice a week...sir." Joe added the last word hesitantly, as if he _was _talking to an authorative figure.

"What's your _routine?_"

"Well..." Joe tried to catch Sacchun's eye, but she was staring at her napkin, determined not to make eye contact. "We usually start with ... the... uh... basics! Because basics are very important when it comes to learning - you can't build on anything if you don't have a strong foundation!" He rambled on, letting words tumble out of his mouth. They seemed convincing enough for Mr. Yachiko.

"Yes, of course, that's the way to go!" he nodded his approval.

"And," Joe continued, fortified, "We maintain a very strict tutor-student relationship. We're friends, of course, but during that hour, two times a week, I am her tutor, and she is Sasha, my student."

Mrs. Yachiko and her daughter both rolled their eyes. Joe was laying it on a bit thick, but he _was _saying exactly what Mr. Yachiko wanted to hear.

"Very good! So am I correct in assuming that there is no _romance _between you two?"

"_Dad! _I _have _a boyfriend!" Sacchun snapped, shaking Carl for emphasis.

"Yes, yes, pumpkin, don't we all." replied Mr. Yachiko, not at all paying attention to what she said.

"Romance?" Joe's eyebrows arched in skepticism, but he was suddenly torn. Sacchun's words replayed themselves in his mind:

_"__... I mean, they always thought that if my tutor was a guy, I'd fall hopelessly in love with them."_

_"Where would they get an idea like that?"_

_"...Eh, When I was smaller, I had a crush on one of my old tutors - he was a lot older than me, of course, but ever since then they've been wanting me to find a tutor that I'd like and eventually want to marry and blah, blah, blah, all that stuff." _

He once again looked to Sacchun for aid that he desperately needed. She seemed to be subconciously ripping her napkin into tiny pieces.

"Well - Like I said, we try to put studies _first..._" Joe tried to avoid fully answering the question. He didn't want to say there was anything between him and Sacchun, even if it was a lie, and especially not in front of Carl; the poor guy wasn't even aware of what was going on right now. Yet, he didn't want Sacchun's parents to disapprove of him as her tutor and make her life hell.

"_And _I have a boyfriend, Let's not forget that!" said Sacchun, elbowing Carl who stammered something that went unheard. He seemed to be mildly intimidated by Mr. Yachiko.

"I like you," Mr. Yachiko declared, putting a fatherly hand on Joe's shoulder. "You should come back with us to Citrus City, young man, you'd make a fine suitor for our little Sasha..."

Joe felt very hot and uncomfortable all of the sudden.

"Are you _senile?!" _Sacchun was on her feet now. "You're _not _choosing my husband, my school, or anything _else _in my life! Joe's not even really my tutor and _for the last freakin' time, I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!"_

Several heads at neighbouring tables turned as Sacchun stormed out of the restaurant. Carl got up, looking flustered, but Joe was already out of his seat and said, "Don't worry about it. I'll go." Aside from comforting Sacchun, he did not want to stick around to find out what Mr. Yachiko's reaction to her outburst would be.

"Oh, well done, Yukio.", he heard Mrs. Yachiko say dryly as he made his way to the doors.

Joe hadn't realised how hot he had felt until he left the restaurant and was exposed to the night air. Though it was hot and summery, and the air was somewhat stale and breezeless, it was still soothing.

It didn't take him long to find Sacchun, who was sitting on the ledge of the wall, by the window. She wasn't crying, but was whipping her hand irritably at the mosquitoes around her. She didn't notice Joe immediately, so he approached her.

"I know, I know, how typical of Sacchun to make a scene in a public place!" she said, letting out a long breath directly afterwards.

"Oh come on," Joe sat beside her, "Doesn't it feel better to have it off your chest?"

"I've been thinking..." She got up and took a few steps. "Maybe I'm just a coward."

"What would make you say that? _You _of all people? A coward?"

Sacchun did not look at him. "I don't know. I've just been thinking. And the more I think about it, the more I realise that I'm just really bad at dealing with my problems."

Joe sat and listened.

"I just run away. Or lie. Or get other people to lie. Or do something else which is equally _stupid _and _cowardly._"

"Sacchun, it's not a big deal, I'm sure your parents will cool down about this!"

"It's not just _this, _Joe!" Sacchun wheeled around to face him. "When I got to High School, I immediately signed up for the Student Dormitories to avoid my parents! When you and Katie hooked up, I didn't confront you about it, I just hooked up with Carl! Out of pure _spite!"_

Joe gaped at this interesting piece of information, but before he could think of what to say, Sacchun went on.

"And Meg! Goddess!" she threw her hands up in frustration, "Did I think everything would resolve itself if I just remained blissfully unaware of _her _problems?!"

"Sacchun!" Joe grabbed her by the shoulders, and noticed now that tears were threatening to leak from the corners of her eyes. "You've made mistakes, and you regret them! What's with all the drama and theatrics? _Everyone's _been down that road!"

"Still! I... I..." she struggled with her words for a moment, "... I'm being so _emo. _Oh man, what's happened to me?"

Joe's grip on her shoulders slackened. "Everyone has these brief moments of ... well, _emoness, _as you put it. But yeah, no matter how many times people tell you this, It _is _true - everyone makes mistakes, and all we can do is learn from them, right? And you already _are _learning from them!"

"Jeez..." Sacchun wiped her eyes with the tip of her finger, "There _must _be something wrong with me if _you're _giving _me _life advice!", she teased.

Joe let go of her and let a grin spread across his face. "If you can have momentary bout of emoness, I can have momentary bouts of wisdom! Am I right?"

"You're such a good friend," Sacchun said softly, her shoulders feeling oddly lonely without the warmth of Joe's hands on them. "Should we go back inside? Before Dad inhales all the food we ordered?" she asked, not wanting to back inside at all.

"Are you sure? I mean... are you ready?" The doors swung open as a few customers left, and they heard the chatter and noise from within the restaurant before the door shut and drowned it out.

Sacchun exhaled. "I don't want to run from my problems anymore. It's a tough goal to set for myself but... I think I'll tackle it, one problem at a time.", she took a step forward.

"So, what's this about you hooking up with Carl to _spite _me?" Joe said, behind her.

"_One problem. At a time." _she growled, getting a laugh from Joe. Somehow, it was comforting. She hesitated for a moment - instinctively, she wanted to hug him, but now, more than ever, it felt wrong.

Why?


	45. Magazine Induced Madness

**/ Author's Note: **Yes, I'm late, but at least I'm not five months late, right? ... Right?! Eheh... Anyway. I _was _working on the story quite a bit. I went through and reread most of it (mostly the ending of Season 1 and all of Season 2 so far), taking down notes on little details I had forgot (There were _a lot) _and planning out the next few chapters. I edited quite a bit of it too, but don't bother going back to check - I haven't yet uploaded the edited chapters, and probably won't until this story is complete. So now I have a handy little document with a bunch of HH-related notes that'll make it easier and less overwhelming to work on future chapters! ...Yay!

So, the next two chapters (after this one) are rather short, so they won't take very long to write and put up. I'm slowly getting back into the groove of writing HH!. Sacchun's parents _finally _leave in this chapter. Did you know they've been around for more than a year, real-time? Seriously, they first came in in Chapter 38, which was in July, 2007. Wow.

And lastly (but not least...ly), I've said it countless times before, and I'll say it again - thanks for the reviews and the loyalty you all show to this story! Keep them coming - they certainly do help me write chapters with more speed and motivation. **End Author's Note /**

Chapter 44: Magazine-Induced Madness

"And they're gone." Joe heard Sacchun say, as the plane carrying her parents was consumed by the endless blue sky. Sacchun turned around to face him, and he gave her a small, comforting smile.

"Was that so bad, then?" He asked.

"Could have gone better." she replied tensely.

"... And on the other hand, it could have been worse, right?" Joe laughed, in an attempt to extinguish the thick cloud of tension in the air. "You're still here, and not tied up, gagged, and stuffed in a suitcase en route to Citrus City!"

"Well,", she started, as they began to walk towards the food court, "That's true. Mom said Dad'll get over it in time, but... I get the feeling he isn't going to cease his endless attempts to enroll me at the academy." The girl rolled her eyes and groaned, "If anything, this'll probably _invigorate _him."

"Your mom seemed okay with it!" Joe said, a few paces behind.

"Oh sure, she _seemed _okay with it, but Mom's a better actress than Dad. Well - I mean, that's a _given, _but you know what I mean. She still _wants _me to have a tutor, after all."

Shielding his eyes from the luminescence above, Joe said, "She didn't seem as adamant about it as your dad from the first place, though."

"That's true," Sacchun said thoughtfully, "She did let up after the first night. I wonder why..."

The food court was a forest of tables and chairs and chattering people, encircled with dozens of typical fastfood restaurants.

"Y'know, as ... interesting ... as your parents are, I don't see why you were so afraid of freaking your friends out!" Joe said, finally voicing what he had been thinking since the arrival of Sacchun's parents.

The girl paused for a moment, before picking up her pace again. "It's just... well, remember how I told you about my ol' tutor who I had a kind-of, sort-of, crush on?"

Joe nodded.

"Once I made the stupid, _idiotic _mistake of letting my parents know how I f-felt about him, they jumped all over him."

"Not _literally, _I hope, because with your dad's _weight --_"

"Shut up," she said playfully, "No, they acted as if my admitting that I had a little, teensy crush on him, was some kind of confirmation that I wanted to _marry him._ This idea stuck, and soon they were organizing more _tutoring lessons _and having get-togethers with his _family _and leaving _subtle _hints about our future together."

"Yikes." Joe said plainly.

"My _mom _was inviting him and his family over for dinner every other night, practically, and always made sure to get them seats at the premiere of whatever movie she was starring in next. I wouldn't be surprised if she had my wedding dress picked out there and then. I mean, I was _ten, _for crying out loud!", Sacchun threw her arms in the air in exasperation, "Then my _dad -", _she changed her voice to that of an exaggerated old man, " '_Oh Nathaniel! When you get your report card, come straight to me so I can make sure you're smart enough to be a doctor or lawyer and support my daughter and us in our old age and so I can poke my nose in where it doesn't belong!' "_

Joe laughed at her uncanny impression. "I'm guessing, from your dad's skill with names, that Nathaniel was not his name at all."

"_Far _from it." Sacchun laughed, "But there you go. Through their combined efforts, they ended up scaring him off - and my parents are not the type to learn from their mistakes! Oh no! They did this for almost _every _male friend I had, for a _looong _time. I lost one of my best friends, thanks to them." Her story ended on a bitter note.

"Aw, well... Childhood friendships are fickle! I can tell you right now that I don't even _speak _to half of the friends I had when I was ten. But... I think there's something different about the bonds we make _now. _They're harder to break. Especially ours...", he said slowly. "... Nothing, not even a pair of crazy 'rents, can break _our _friendship."

Sacchun looked up at her bandana-wearing friend, moving a few steps closer. Joe, expecting a hug, was caught off guard when she playfully punched him in the chest.

"Ow! What'd I do?", he laughed shakily.

"Dammit Joe, you always know what to say to make me feel better!", she whined, as if this was a problem. "And I guess that means we're stuck together, then?"

"Yup!", Joe said cheerily, "You won't be getting rid of me for a _loooong _time."

Ray was not hard to find, stationed directly in front of a mexican fast-food booth. The faux-sombrero-wearing casheer's expression was easy to read - _exasperation. _The expanding line behind their hungry friend did not look much happier.

"No..." Ray said softly, "I really think I'd prefer freshly-grated cheese on my taco."

"We don't _have _freshly grated cheese, _sir._ We only have what comes in the little plastic packets. There really isn't much difference. _Really._", The exasperated clerk assured him.

Ray was seemingly mulling this new piece of information over. "So... do you put the _cheese _on and then toast it so it'll melt appropriately?"

"_No. _The cheese melts once it's in the taco with the meat." she replied, her patience expiring quickly.

"I see," said Ray, "And what about _peanut _butter -"

Before the clerk could open her mouth, an equally exasperated Joe put his hand on Ray's shoulder and spun him around to face the agitated crowd behind him, which was all it took for Ray to cease his ridiculous questions and finally order the taco.

--

Lloyd's return to school that day was accompanied by hot, sticky weather, the anticipated-by-many Cooking Festival, and a significantly cheerful Sacchun. Joe had shared the Sacchun's story with Lloyd, as that's what roomies as close as them tend to do, so seeing Sacchun looking chipper did not come as much of a surprise.

Their lunch table was once again full, with the addition of Ray and Eve, which seemed to be more of a disadvantage than anything. Seeing as the sun's rays were amplified by the glass ceiling overhead, even _under _the shade of the tree, the students were all sweating.

Dia, however, was unperturbed, sitting there in her long-sleeve purple shirt with a black vest over it. She was in the middle of reading through a lurid pop-culture magazine, its cover sporting campy headlines such as '_Brad's Backstage Kiss - For Luck?' _or '_The Top 10 Summer Brand List'_.

"_Why _are you reading that?" Lloyd asked in disgust, his voice still sounding slightly strained despite his nose not being covered in plaster. Dia's focus remained unbroken, muttering something about '_heard about something' _and '_just wanted to check it out' _and _'borrowed it from Nina'. _ Kurt looked just as skeptical as Lloyd did.

"They're not _that _bad, right Dia? She's just expanding her horizons! Approaching it as a piece of literature rather than a gossip report!" Eve said brightly, looking up from her own magazine. This garnered a response from Dia;

"No, they really are rascally little rags lacking in both morals and ethics and I wouldn't be bothered with it if not for an interesting piece of information I overheard this morning and wished to research.", she said in one impatient breath. Her eyes did not flit from the magazine in front of her. Eve looked slightly put-out by this.

"Sooooo," Kurt said conversationally, "We have the rest of the afternoon off 'cause of the Cooking Festival!"

"I _love _this festival!" Carl stated. This Festival usually took place in the basement Gym, adjacent to the cooking class, which made it a much smaller effort moving all the cooking appliances needed for the festival.

"Me too." Joe said sternly, his arms crossed. Sacchun was in a similar position. "Which is exactly why we are on a hunger strike!! ... For an hour."

"Hah! My father's excessive eating of everything in my fridge has prepared me well for the starvation I now face!" Sacchun said proudly.

"There's no point stuffing our faces _now _when we're about to attend an all-you-can-eat bonanza." explained Joe. Just as he said that, his and Sacchun's stomachs both released a growl that seemed almost simultaneous. The pair covered them up - poorly - with sudden and violent coughs.

"Aha!"

They all looked to Dia, thinking she had found what she was looking for, when it was really Eve who had uttered the exclamation.

"What is it?" Ray asked, looking over at the magazine.

"How _cute _is this?" The blonde squealed, stretching an arm around Ray's shoulders and bringing the magazine closer to his face. The pages were filled with what looked like silhouettes of various objects and designs. The one Eve was pointing to, however, was that of a long, twisted rose.

"Uh, yeah? What is it?" asked Ray, slow as ever.

"_Ray," _Eve said with a tone of impatience, "_Honey, _It's a tattoo! I've been talking about getting one for ages!"

"A t-tattoo?!" the pony-tailed youth exclaimed, "But _why?"_

Judging from the expression on Eve's face, she did not expect this sort of reaction. "Well, why _not? _They're ... hot!"

"Not to me," Ray said plainly, "I don't know _why _anyone would want to chisel some kind of design into their skin..." He failed to suppress a shudder.

"Aw, I think it's nice!" Carl offered, looking at the magazine. "Where are you planning to get it, Eve?"

"Maybe somewhere on my back - the lower part, I guess." she said, reaching around to her backside and mentally picturing the spot where her tattoo would be. From the crimsoning faces of Joe and Lloyd, Sacchun could tell _they _were doing the same, and gave them each a swift kick in the shin from under the table. "What do you have against tattoos?!"

"Nothing! They're just - the _idea _of putting a needle to your _skin..._", Ray shuddered again, "And It won't ever come _off! _Have you thought about _that?_"

"Oh gosh golly goodness, Ray! You're right!" Eve said, with such an overly sarcastic air.

"I am?", replied her boyfriend thickly.

"I can see that years from now I'll _totally regret _getting a three-inch rose on my backside! You know, in case I develop a sudden and venomous hatred for _flowers!_"

The sarcasm didn't go unnoticed by Ray this time. "Look, It's just that... It's not... not _natural!", _he said brusquely, "I ... I like my girls to be more _natural."_

Everyone at the table gave him a collectively unbelieving glance - even Dia looked up from her magazine to quirk an eyebrow at the poor guy. Eve was _far _from the textbook definition of 'natural'. Dating her for her 'natural beauty' was like dating Mary for her wild and rambunctious side. Anyone a mile away could tell that Eve spent at _least _an hour in the morning delicately applying make-up, and, though less overt, she also had contacts, teeth-whitening slips, and her belly-button pierced. To top it all off - though the story isn't told anymore for fear of being _murdered _by Eve - Eve was even caught with padding in her bra back in seventh grade (the now well-endowed girl had no need for that _now, _but it didn't exactly help her reputation).

"Well," she batted her mascara'd eyebrows threateningly, "We'll discuss this _later._"

"Oof, _cold._" Joe said, giving his friend a sympathetic glance as he watched his girlfriend stalk off.

"Really, though, Ray - what _do _you have against tattoos?" Kurt asked, thoroughly curious.

"I - I just can't look at one without getting squeamish..." Ray shuddered again, "Just - just _thinking _about that _needle _being dragged across your skin..." He gulped and rubbed his arms subconciously.

"Whatever, though, it's not like she's asking _you _to get a tattoo! Just let her." Lloyd reasoned.

"B-But even if she does get one, certain... _other _problems... might... ah... ", his voice shrunk as he went on. "Look, like I said, I get _squeamish _and that - that wasn't an exaggeration. I really _do _and... it'd just be... a problem if I were to _see it _and get _squeamish _during... well... you know..." The poor brunette looked as if uttering each word was torture.

Joe howled with laughter insensitively and Lloyd gave Ray a sympathetic look and Carl - for some reason - was suddenly blushing and looking away.

"Joe! Don't be an insensitive meanie." Sacchun flicked Joe playfully, before turning to Ray. "Soooo, _Raaay,_" she said suggestively, "Does that mean you and Eve have _done _the deed?"

Carl cleared his throat uncomfortably, but no one took notice.

"Sacchun!" Joe exclaimed, thoroughly amused. "_Now _who's being insensitive?"

"Well... er, yeah." Ray said bashfully. "We have been dating for a _long _time, now." This shut Joe up promptly, and it was Sacchun's turn to giggle naughtily.

"Whoa, too much information there, man." Joe said, eyebrows raised. Kurt gave his little brother an _Oh-grow-up _look.

"I... I better go after her, guys." Ray got up from the table.

"Good luck, Mr. Casanova!" Sacchun gleefully sang after Ray as he left the Lunch Dome.

"Well. I guess it's _my _turn to say 'Aha!'." Dia said dismally, looking up from her magazine, her face contorted in a scowl. They all leaned in closer, as if Dia was about to reveal a vital clue in a murder mystery. She slammed the magazine down on the table so that the page she was on was visible to everyone. It only took a few seconds for Carl to gasp, Kurt to mumble "How did they...?", Joe to slap his own forehead, and Lloyd to say "Oh, jeez!". Sacchun, meanwhile, didn't say anything, but simply glowered at the magazine. Above a grayscale photograph of herself, her parents, and Lloyd and Joe (though their faces were blurred out) on Azure Street, was the headline - 'Ruby _Yachiko-_Lee's Big Secret: A Daughter?'.

Reading through the article made Sacchun feel feverish. It informed the reader of how her mother had tried her best to, for the past sixteen years, keep Sacchun's existence a secret. There were snippets and quotes from Interviews which contained frequent denials about having kids, speculations about Ruby Lee bribing hospitals and schools to keep quiet, and the reactions of her rabid fans finding out their beloved starlet was a mother. Sacchun knew her mother hadn't done this out of cruelty; she simply wanted to keep Sacchun out of the papers, and wanted her to have the rare privilege of leading a normal life, despite being the child of a famous actress.

"We must have been careless..." Lloyd said, while everyone waited for Sacchun's reaction.

"Nina and Katie -" Joe twitched uncomfortably at the sound of his ex-girlfriend's name - "Were discussing it this morning. Katie looked murderous." Dia said, disregarding Joe's odd twitches.

"_I _thought her hat-and-sunglasses get up was pretty good!" Joe admitted, changing the subject. "It looks like it was taken while we were on our way to Callaway Café."

"_Wait..._" Sacchun finally said. Everyone turned to her. "On our way to... Wait. _Wait a second._" She said sharply, snatching the magazine and bringing it up to her face. Sure enough, underneath the black & white photo was the name of the photographer - Ronald Espatula.

"It was Mr. Espatula!" she snapped, throwing the magazine back down.

"_What?!" _exclaimed the four boys in unison.

Dia picked it up and examined it to see if Sacchun's words were true. "Oh, this just boils my blood..."

Kurt took it next. "Are you _sure _though? I mean, there might be more than _one _Ronald Espatula...", He reasoned, seeing how visibly angry Sacchun was.

"No, I remember! He was there, he was that fool who tried to jump over a car or something!" Sacchun ripped the magazine out of Kurt's hands and tore out the page with the photo, before getting up and storming out of the dome.

Dia quickly got up to follow her, muttering, "Better keep her out of trouble...", as she did.

As the girls left, Kurt took to perusing the magazine. It didn't take him long to find something _else _of interest. Right behind the page Sacchun had ripped out, was an article that almost had him in tears of laughter by the end of it.

"_What _is so funny?" Joe frowned at his brother.

"Just read this!" Kurt pointed to the bottom half of the page, where they saw a photo of another sickeningly familiar face.

_'Earlier this Spring, Nami Linette took a sudden leave from her job as the hot red-headed news anchor of FBTV to pursue an unusual career as high-school teacher. I think we speak on behalf of all Nami Linette devotees when we say, 'Damn you, Flowerbud High!' for getting to stare at this beauty live and up-front everyday!'_

Already, Lloyd was howling with laughter, Carl was chuckling, and Joe looked somewhat bemused.

_'Regardless of the reason as to why Nami Linette of FBTV became 'Ms. Linette of the English Department', this sudden and gutsy change has had a positive affect on her career. While she had garnered quite a bit of attention as being FBTV's youngest (and, needless to say, most attractive) news anchor ever, the attention is now pouring in. Principals across the country have been contacting the FBTV head office in attempts to "book" her for a year of teaching at their respective schools, and the stunning red-head has even been offered roles in both TV dramas and mainstream films. _

_No one is quite sure why becoming a school teacher has resulted in new doors opening for Ms. Linette, but most speculate that it is her interminable love for the kids that's attracted directors and school boards alike. Whatever is in store for the gorgeous anchor-turned-teacher, there's no doubt that she can only go up from here!'_

"That's ... that's just... Okay, there are _no _words to describe how damn funny this is." Lloyd wiped tears from his eyes.

"Goddess, it sounds like _Dan _wrote it, or something!" Carl said, chortling. "I mean, 'hot red-headed news anchor'? A 'beauty'? The 'stunning red-head'? 'Gorgeous anchor-turned-teacher?'"

Kurt laughed along with them. "_Or _it could have been written by my little brother, _Right, Joe?_"

"No!" He pouted, "I just thought she was hot the first time I saw her! Oh goddess, _now _the thought makes my stomach feel queasy."

"But seriously, besides all that, this is seriously a load of bullcrap. Her interminable love for kids? _Riiiight._" Lloyd rolled his eyes.

"I find it kinda irritating." Joe said, leaning back. "I mean, she comes here, _tortures us, _and now she gets _rewarded _for it? Someone's got to say something! Let the truth be known!" He said heroically.

"And I'm guessing this 'someone' is going to be you?" Lloyd inquired, already knowing the answer.

"Who else!"

"Dia was right..." Lloyd said, looking the magazine over once more. "They really are rascally little rags lacking in both morals and ethics. _And _accuracy." He closed the magazine, effectively smooshing Nami Linette's smiling face.


	46. Clash of the Cooks, Round II!

**/ Author's Note: **New Chapter! And in less than a month! Hopefully this is a good sign. Hopefully I can win back some old readers (and some new ones?) by keeping a somewhat more regular releasing schedule. This is another long one, as well. It was meant to be _only _around 3000 words, but that amount seems to have doubled... Oh well!

Harvest High!'s birthday is in _eight days. _I know, It's a very odd thought. However, I don't plan for it to be around for its next birthday - as this year is my last year of high school, I fully intend for this story to be wrapped up _by _or _before _the summer of 2009. Wish me luck on that, and I hope you'll all stick around 'til the end! Thanks for the reviews, as usual, and enjoy! **End Author's Note / **

Chapter 45: Clash of the Cooks, Round II!

"Ohoho," chuckled Sacchun, a glint of madness in her eye, as she made her way to their Spanish classroom. She took long strides, her body moving of its own accord, with no help from her brain - which was filled with a boiling rage threatening to spill over the minute she opened the door of the room. Dia was following behind, with difficulty.

"Hey! Watch it!" squealed a younger girl as Sacchun walked right through a ring of chattering teens. "Wait, wasn't that the daughter of...?"

Hearing the girl say that only drove Sacchun to move her legs faster.

"Isn't it fitting that our _Spanish _teacher," Sacchun continued madly, "Is a _paparazzi? _That's a _spanish _term, you know." She said, feeling oddly proud that she had retained some of what she learned in Mr. Espatula's class.

"Actually -" Dia took a couple of long strides so she could be within earshot of the girl - "It's _Italian._"

_'Oh. Well, there went that pride.' _Sacchun thought, but didn't care. She suddenly picked up speed again.

"Sacchun, wait!" Dia feebly called after her, but before she could even catch up with the pig-tailed girl, they were already in front of the classroom. And before she could catch her breath again, Sacchun was already through the door, the magazine clipping in her outstretched hand.

"WELL, If it _isn't - _Er, Alex?!"

"Mr. Collins," he corrected her, mildly - in Sacchun's surprise, she had forgotten to address him as such. He was standing at Mr. Espatula's desk, a book in his hand that, she recognized, must be a class roster. Mr. Espatula himself, however, was missing - as well as some of the class's other usual fixtures - many of the Spanish posters that usually hung on the wall were gone, some leaving behind small pieces of tape still on the wall, and the bookshelf at the back of the room which was usually occupied with various foreign books was oddly empty.

"Okay... What's going on _here?_" Dia asked, after finally regaining her breath.

"And _where _is Ronald?!" Sacchun demanded savagely, earning a "That's _Mr. Espatula," _back from Alex.

"Though I guess you don't really have to address him like that, anymore. He's gone," Alex informed them. Before Sacchun could ask why, he said, "You're holding the reason in your hand right now."

Sacchun withdrew her hand, having just realized that it was still outstretched. "What?!"

"That magazine - and a few others, I believe - payed him good money for that scoop." Alex said darkly. "So, naturally, he's off to pursue that career."

And then it spilled over. With a wild growl and a tearing of the magazine clipping, Sacchun proceeded to rant at the doctor.

"That stupid, _stupid, _greedy little worm! How could he do this?! I was one of his _students, _too!! Doesn't this... this count as abuse?! Somehow?!" she spat, unconciously tearing the clipping into smaller and smaller pieces as she did so. "I mean, just imagine the _work _my mom's going to have to do now! Having a sixteen-year-old daughter just pop into existence after denying even _wanting _to have children for all these -"

Dia began to tune out Sacchun's rant. _'She has every reason to be angry about this, but...,' _Dia thought, '_Is it really such a great thing to have a mother who denies your existence...? I know Sacchun's okay with it, and it's probably the smarter thing to do but... I can't imagine how one would feel, reading through articles or watching interviews where one's mom so casually dismisses their existence...'. _It was a peculiar situation to her, indeed, and one that she found hard to imagine herself in.

"As much as I'd like to help you, Miss Yachiko..." Alex said, gesturing with his hands for Sacchun to calm down, "There's not much we can do! It _is _a definite breach or privacy and ethically _wrong, _but taking photographs like that is not illegal - at least, not in our city. I don't even know where he moved to, really. Theodore might have the official forms, but he's been away for the last couple of weeks. And even _with _that information, there's just so little we can do." His tone of voice slowly turned more apologetic as he saw Sacchun's rage simmer down to a quiet somberness. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," huffed Sacchun, "Or, it'll _be _okay.", she corrected herself.

"Not everyone reads those magazines, Sacchun!" Dia said, feeling awkward in her attempt to comfort her.

"True," her friend said darkly, "Except the people who _do _read those magazines are just about the biggest gossip queens in the school."

Alex let out a sad sigh, being at a loss for words. "There's not much I can do, but Sacchun," he used her nickname in an attempt to comfort her, "If you ever need to talk, I'm more than willing to listen."

Unexpectedly, Sacchun found herself blushing. She remembered her old 'crush' on the handsome doctor, which she hadn't thought about for quite some time, now - in fact, she had completely forgotten about it. Her feelings for him had no doubt gotten lost among the vortex of other feelings that had burst into existence lately. The fleeting attraction for Alex passed over her and she was left with a somewhat empty feeling. Was it a twinge of regret, or just that feeling everyone feels when realising a part of them - however small - had disappeared forever?

Today had just been too much for her. "Actually Mr. Collins," Sacchun said, suddenly tired, "I think I'll just go on down to the Cooking Festival. I'm... I'm tired."

Alex nodded sympathetically. The two girls turned to leave, when Dia suddenly stopped and looked back at Alex.

"Wait, sir...", she said slowly, looking around the Spanish classroom. "Who's going to be taking Mr. Espatula's place? As Spanish teacher...?"

Before Alex opened his mouth, Sacchun's stomach sunk, already having a feeling in her gut as to who it would be.

"Ms. Li -"

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" _Sacchun continued to yell as she ran out of the classroom and down the halls.

"It just hasn't been a good day for her, has it." Dia asked, more to herself than to Alex.

"Terrible, really." Alex said, more to himself than to Dia.

--

With the first half of the day gone, classes came to an end and much of the school congregated at the basement gym, to celebrate the annual Cooking Festival. The main attraction every year was the prestigious Cooking Contest, in which six or so students could enter a dish to be tested by Mr. Starre, and the chef of the best dish was rewarded with a gift-card to a fancy restaurant near-by.

"I heard it's sponsored by the Paradise Orchard, this year!" Ann said excitedly, walking alongside Lloyd, Joe, Kurt and Mary. The boys had met up with Mary and Ann along the way, and were now on their way down to the gym, surrounded by a cluster of students with the same destination.

"Does anyone know who's participating?" Kurt wondered aloud.

"Karen is." Lloyd said, all too knowingly.

Mary added, "Which means Gwen will be. But then again, I think Gwen would enter regardless. Her prowess in the kitchen is sublime!"

"Amber'll probably give her a run for her money, though. She always enters." Joe replied, his arms crossed tightly over his stomach to try and keep in any hungry growls that might try to escape.

"I heard Erica would be participating too," Ann remarked, then counted on her fingers, "That's four, who are the last two?" No one in particular came to mind.

"Hey," Joe addressed Lloyd and Kurt, "I wonder if Mr. Espatula is currently lying in the Nurse's office after his little confrontation with Sacchun."

His older brother gave him a disapproving look. "Joe, It's not something to joke about! What he did was seriously wrong!"

"Which is exactly why he deserves to be taught a lesson! And a good ninja-kick in the face might just be what he needs right now.", replied the younger of the two. "And let's not forget _Dia's _with her. Hoo boy."

"Dia isn't one to resort to violence, though." Lloyd said, looking to Kurt to confirm his statement.

"She's _not _violent," he agreed, "But there's _no _way he's going to get away without a stern talking-to from her."

"A stern talking-to doesn't sound _so _bad." Lloyd pointed out.

"Okay. Stern talking-to? More like vicious enraged yelling-at." Joe corrected, still able to remember Dia's reaction following Dan's assault on Lloyd.

"What happened, exactly...?" Mary asked timidly.

Joe said, quickly, "Nothing."

"Is it about... er... Sacchun's mom being Ruby Lee?" Ann asked hesitantly. Joe gaped and Lloyd explained that Ann had already met her during their promenade down Azure Street.

"Not just _that, _but honestly guys," Ann rolled her hand in the air and her eyes at the same time, "Everyone's going to know by the end of the day. Who _doesn't _read magazines?"

The three boys and Mary raised their hands, the latter doing so rather timidly.

"... Present company excluded." The red-head added off-handedly.

The memory of meeting Ann and Louis having been stirred, Lloyd asked, "So how's everything going with your dad and, uh, Nina's mom?"

"Good! They're actually leaving the day after tomorrow," She quickly added, after seeing the confused looks of her schoolmates, "To see Liz's parents. Then they're coming back for an engagement party, and I believe the wedding is set to be in June."

"They certainly are quick," remarked the other girl. It was true, they _were _being unnaturally fast about the whole thing, but only Ann and (though Ann didn't know,) Lloyd knew why.

Ann continued cheerfully, "But Louis has been helping out a lot! With everything."

"You mean Mr. Bennett...?"

"Well _yeah, _Mary, but we're too close to actually use titles like that. He's been _living _with me, for Goddess' sake!"

Ann's animated gabble about Louis was easy to tune out, and Lloyd turned around suddenly, thinking he had heard someone huff. Expecting to see Sacchun or Dia approaching, he instead saw what looked like a whirl of blue, disappearing into the crowd behind them.

--

The gym was nigh-unrecognizable. While a small stage had been constructed in the center of the high-ceilinged gym, it was barely visible when surrounded with the bevy of students and booths set up around the gym. Teachers and students alike were sitting at said booths selling dishes and treats and delicacies. The truly divergent feature the gym had gained, however, was the fact that it was now _pleasant-smelling. _The melange of contrasting smells had done the place wonders.

"They must be in here somewhere... I honestly can't see them, Sacchun." Dia was straining her neck as much as she could to find either Kurt's camouflage bandana or Joe's starry one.

Sacchun, meanwhile, was staring at the booths they passed by with a look that looked increasingly like a mixture of hunger and lust. "Damn Joe," she muttered savagely, "Damn him for making me promise to break our fasts together!"

Dia's raised eyebrow went unnoticed, so she continued to look for the boys. "Come on, Sacchun, they might be this way," she grabbed the girl around the wrist and started pulling her away from the booths.

"But, _Foooood..._" She whimpered softly as she was pulled off into the swarm of people.

"To think, this gym was just one big bare room the last time we were here, and now we're having trouble finding a pair of boys..." Dia muttered, more to herself than to Sacchun, who's eyes were fixated on each and every food item that entered her line of vision. "Ah!"

Dia had accidentally walked into a tall stranger, a boy whom she was certain did not attend the school. He didn't even offer a grunt of apology, and upon turning, Dia saw that propped up on his shoulder was a giant black camera, one with four familiar letters inscribed in it : FBTV.

"Watch it, buddy." She said, impatiently. His cold eyes from under his cap (which had three letters on it, 'UMA' or something, Dia couldn't quite make it out) flitted over her for a second before he continued to walk, deciding not to give her an apology.

"Whatever..."

Something constricted Dia's foot, and looking down, she noticed that during the small scuffle, one of the wires had managed to tangle itself around her ankle. "Hey, Camera boy!" She called over to him, though it went unnoticed. "Ah -"

Unable to keep her balance, Dia fell backwards and, as she was still holding on to her, Sacchun followed. She grabbed wildly for something, anything to hold on to, and felt her hand close around a handful of cloth. Dia did the same, and grabbed the tablecloth off the nearest booth.

"Eyaaahhh!" Sacchun shrieked, being pulled to the ground. There was a loud _thud, _and then an even louder _Crash!, _as the cloth Dia had managed to grab slid off the table, with all the dishes that were on top of it.

Groaning and shamelessly letting loose a paroxysm of curses, the green-eyed girl stood, her head aching but the crowd of onlookers still coming into focus clearly. The look on their faces registered as shock, and initially Dia thought it was for bringing down the table of food. However, with the new and sudden breeze in the gym, and a quick glance at Sacchun, the true reason they were shocked was revealed. Grinning sheepishly on the ground, Sacchun was holding a handful of ripped black cloth that looked suspiciously like -

"My dress!" gasped Dia, lunging for it. Her pale skin - most of which was now in plain sight - had gained a whole new shade of red as the half-naked girl grabbed the ruined pieces of her dress and tried in vain to put them back on. The crowd didn't move, and Dia turned viciously to them, before noticing the cameraman she had bumped into earlier now staring at her, the camera still on his shoulder, recording without him even realising.

"Will you turn that _bloody _thing _off _before I -", and Sacchun had to cover her own ears to block out the explicit and violent rant Dia had launched into.

It took only a few minutes, a few bobby-pins, and the tablecloth Dia had grabbed, and she was now in a ridiculous-looking white dress that was only _slightly _less embarassing than parading around naked.

"Wow, are you okay, Dia?" Joe asked, trying to sound more concerned than amused. The boys had finally joined up with the girls after the whole commotion died down.

"I'm walking around a huge public event that - _apparently - _is being filmed by FBTV, in a _dress made out of a table cloth. _Does _that _sound okay, Joe? Does it?!"

Joe chose, wisely, not to answer.

"I'm sorry," Sacchun said for about the hundredth time. "Really, _reeeeally _sorry."

"It's not _entirely _your fault," Dia said fairly, "It's that _freaking _camera guy. If I see him again, I'm going to - "

"Yeah, I think we _all _heard what you were going to do to him when you started yelling at him back there..." Lloyd cut in.

"With _that _fiasco out of the way," Joe turned to Sacchun, "Are we ready to eat or what?!"

In the midst of all the commotion, Sacchun had forgotten just how hungry she was. "Yes!" Her eyes, if possible, twinkled with happiness. "Food! _Food!_"

"Then off we go!", Joe and Sacchun bounded off in their typical Joe-and-Sacchun-esque manner. The other three followed rather lazily behind, finally having a chance to enjoy the festival now that their party had been reunited.

"FBTV News," Lloyd remarked, looking around at the different cameramen stationed around the Gym and the various wires trailing and tangling all over the floor.

"_They've _never come to our school for a festival before." Kurt stated.

Lloyd quipped, "Wonder what brought _them _here."

The answer to Lloyd's sarcastic remark presented itself in the form of Nami Linette, dressed up in a neat blouse and skirt, both shades of green, with earrings and lipstick to compliment her flaming red hair. Besides the new clothes, the english teacher was unrecognizable simply for the fact that she was smiling and laughing and talking pleasantly to every student she walked by.

"Oh boy, she is just the icing on the cake which is this perfect day." Dia grumbled, folding her arms over her chest in an attempt to keep the tablecloth-dress from falling.

"Hey, on the bright side, at least now we know the key to keeping her pleasant," Kurt gestured to the many cameras surrounding her, and the reporters interviewing her.

Lloyd looked sour, "It looks more like a documentary on _her, _not on the Cooking festival."

"Guys!" called over an excited voice, that they found out, in a few seconds, belonged to Sacchun. She skipped over to them, several food items in her hands, ranging from cotton candy to muffins to chicken brochettes to sushi. "Dia, come with me, I just found something that'll make both our days _infinitely _better. I mean it." She added, to convince a skeptical Dia.

"C'mon!!" Joe called, over at another booth. They all ran towards him, passing Nami and her flock of news reporters, when they finally got to a booth surrounded by quite a few students discussing mischievously.

"Interested?" came the sleek voice of Lucy Clifford, standing behind the booth. "Only five dollars for a ticket."

"Nami's _agreed _to this?" a bewildered Lloyd asked in disbelief.

"Oh no," Lucy said, the look in her eye could only be descibed as being purely wicked. "But look at the fool," she jabbed a thumb over at Nami, who had just let out an unbelievably fake laugh for the camera, "What'll she do? She can't possibly get mad or punish us in anyway while the _cameras _are on her."

"And the other teachers?" Kurt asked uncertainly.

"Will simply laugh along as long as they see that Nami didn't take it seriously, _which _she won't." Lucy flipped back her purple hair and struck an impressive pose without even trying. "It's a foolproof plan."

Sacchun was almost bouncing up and down in excitement, tugging on Dia's arm. "Can we enter? Can we enter? Please, let us enter? Come on! We're entering. We're entering, okay? Dia! We're entering. Whoohoo!", she forked over ten dollars without hesitation and wrote their names down on the raffle tickets.

"So let me get this straight..." Lloyd looked at the arc hanging over the booth, "Whoever wins the raffle gets to throw a banana-cream pie at Nami Linette's face?"

"On _live _TV." Lucy added wickedly. "It's the icing on the cake."

"Or the pie." Joe pointed out.

"I can't believe you're going to get away with this," said a stern voice from behind them. They turned around to see Mia, standing with her hands on her hips, a clearly disapproving look present on her face. "I'm sorry, but I don't see this happening."

"Oh look, if it ain't the little blue-haired narc." Lucy retorted, in an equally disapproving way. "Gonna tell daddy?"

Sacchun frowned, "Don't be mean to Mia."

"My father is out of town, as you very well know," Mia's expression turned sour. "I'm not going to do anything, but I can't see this ending well."

"Heh, not for Nami," Lucy corrected her. "And definitely not for _you _if you don't _beat it._" She glowered menacingly at her, and Mia made a point of adjusting her hairband and stalking off without another word.

--

On the stage that had been erected in the middle of the gym, each of the six participants stood at their cooking station, adding the finishing touches to their dishes.

'_Perfection.' _Karen thought, dipping her finger into her stew and giving it a taste. She was immensely proud of being able to prepare this dish, and her confidence overflowed. Beating Ellen & Amber? Doable. Beating Kai & Erica? Easy money. And Gwen? Hah, she had practically already lost.

Okay, so Karen might be a _tad _over-confident. But nothing could stop her today, she was on fire. To top it all off, she'd be crowned the top cook on live television, where everyone could watch.

Unable to bear it any longer, she grabbed her pot and bounded over to Kai's station, her fluffy lucky chef's hat bouncing up and down as she did so.

"Try some." She insisted, her beaming face bright enough to power a city.

"Uh, Are you sure...? I mean..." Kai's first instinct was to run, to run as far as he possibly could, but as that was currently out of the question, he had to come up with a reason as to why he couldn't taste the blonde's usually horrendous cooking. "... You don't want to run out of Stew before the judging!"

"Oh don't be silly, just have a nice spoonful and I'll be on my way. I need a second opinion, anyway." Karen persisted, plunging a spoon into the thick substance.

"Ka-Karen...I'm not, _ah, mmpph...", _Kai's speech quickly became indistuingishable as Karen drove the spoon right into his mouth.

Then the expected happened.

Kai's face turned slightly green and he spun around, pretending to swallow it (when he really spit it out into his hand). "Are you... Are you seriously entering that?"

"Don't be jealous, Kai. I mean, you're a _great _chef, but you should rise above petty jealousy! Just admit that I, for once, have triumphed over you in the mighty battlefield known as the kitchen!"

"_Have you no sense of taste?!" _Kai blurted out, slapping his own forehead with his palm. "Karen, as a fellow competitor, I'd tell you it's great and have you be on your way. As a friend, I'd maybe try to sugar-coat the truth about it. But as a _chef, _I have to tell you, _this _is by far the second worst stew I've _ever _tasted."

A crestfallen Karen crossed her arms and asked, "What was the absolute worst?"

"The mud stew my little brother mixed together on our front lawn and forced us all to taste test."

"Ouch."

"Sorry."

The tanned boy took the stew from her and sniffed it. "What in the name of the Goddess did you add to this...?" A couple more sniffs and Kai was able to flawlessly list Karen's ingredients. "Chocolate, fish, jam,_ wine, _brocolli, peas, cake batter, ground beef - which I think is _expired, _by the way - olive juice, and seaweed? That's a new one."

"You're good," Karen admitted begrudgingly. "Also mean. Very mean. You meanie."

"Well, whether you're competing against me or not, I feel obligated to help you. Chef's oath. Letting a dish _this _bad even be entered in this contest would break my heart," He sniffed dramatically for emphasis, "Besides, if something's worth cooking, it's worth cooking _right. _Right? Right."

"Not that _I _really _need _your help, but if it'll really make you feel better, then _fine. _Just don't sabotage it or anything!"

"Karen." Kai put his hand on her shoulder and closed his eyes. "Chef's honour. Plus, even a sabotaged entry would taste better than yours. No offence."

"None taken, jackass." Karen grumbled, before letting Kai get to work.

"Now, you've pretty much murdered this stuff, and it's too thick and goopy to actually _fix, _but I'm sure I can somehow add a layer or two on _top _that'll keep out the bad stuff..."

She looked around at the other participants, who were too absorbed by their own dishes to notice her little collaboration. _'Gwen is going down...'_

The blonde chef in question was indeed too busy with her own dish to notice anything around her. "Parsley? Got it. Carrots? Flour? Right, there they are... Broth? Okay. That should do." Gwen said to herself rather absently. Had anyone been around her at that moment, they'd most likely call her crazy. Her stew simmered peacefully and gave her cooking station a very warm atmosphere. "Yum yum, this little baby is gonna bag me the big prize..."

Gwen took a few moments to look around at each of her competitors' tables. Erica's two-tier cake was sitting elegantly on her table, Amber had whipped up a huge omelette stuffed to the brim with different-tasting ingredients, and Ellen had created a small pyramid of triangular sandwiches.

'_Flashy stuff, for sure, but nothing can beat my sensation of a stew!' _she thought smugly. Karen's station was oddly empty; devoid of both a chef and a dish. However, it didn't take long to spot her at Kai's station, both of them fervently working away on a dish. She assumed it was Karen's dish, as another one stood on the side - a tropical Pineapple dessert - probably belonging to Kai. Annoyed though she would be at Karen joining forces with Kai, she still didn't think it to be that big a deal. Every year she had managed to beat them both out (Though beating Karen wasn't much of an accomplishment anyway) with very little difficulty. Ellen and Erica were good, that much was certain, but not good enough. In the end, it came down to Amber and Gwen, cousin versus cousin, both having been taught at the hands of Doug, the father and uncle to each of them respectively. Beating Karen, however, was more important than ever to the light-haired chef. Besides the whole thing being broadcasted on the news, Gwen, admittedly, had not gotten over the Valentines Day debacle, and was happy to get her back in anyway she could.

_'And maybe then, maybe...' _She pictured herself holding one of two Paradise Orchard coupons in an outstretched arm, offering it to a boy, offering it to...

"Salt!" She exclaimed suddenly. "Salt! Salt, dammit, where are you..." She grabbed the small shaker of salt and shook it vigorously into the pot. "I knew I forgot something."

'_Nothing can beat my stew. Nothing, I say, Nothing!', _and Gwen had to resist bursting out into maniacal laughter. Okay, maybe she _was _just a bit crazy.

--

Though Mr. Espatula had fled the schoolgrounds before justice could be delivered upon him, the damage had been done. That meddlesome photograph he had taken, though only released today, had lead to numerous problems for Sacchun. One of the most immediate ones was that she was hounded by TV reporters and camera crews while she tried to simply enjoy the festival with her friends.

She couldn't help but feel somewhat smug about it though - the more cameras that were on her, the less cameras there were on Nami. And it couldn't be more clear that Nami did not like that one bit. Laughing and skipping along and sampling food, Sacchun seemed to bring a new life to the festival, and this attracted many of the FBTV reporters over to her, which left Nami with nothing much else to do but stand there looking pretty. Sacchun may have recently been the victim of a paparazzi, but being surrounded by her friends, good-smelling food, and the general atmosphere of a festival was more than enough to make her forget her problems, at least for the day. The prospect of Nami Linette leaving the festival dripping with whip cream after a having a pie hurled at her face was an added bonus.

"Watch it Sacchun, you're dropping ketchup all over the place..." said Lloyd.

"That's okay," Joe said, grinning, "We always have Dia in case we drop any food." He then had to lunge out of the way to avoid a punch sent his way by the tablecloth-clad girl.

"And you're next." Dia said sharply to the poorly hidden cameraman trying to get a shot of Sacchun from behind a booth. "Honestly! It's like a bad rat infestation." She said, turning back to the group.

"Only rats are fuzzy and cute." Sacchun added, taking a bite of a hot-dog. "Cameramen, not so much."

"I sincerely hope they aren't around for the rest of the festivals we throw this year." Dia stated, crossing her arms and pulling up her makeshift dress once again.

"Hey, there's Ray!" Joe called out to his friend, who was simultaneously chatting to Bob and stuffing his face.

"Best festival of the year, hands down," Ray said, once addressed. "What happened to _you_?" He gestured his fajita-holding hand at Dia.

"Long story. That's all." Dia muttered under her breath, feeling no shame in giving him an icy glare to accompany her curt explanation.

"O...kay." The brunette said slowly. Bob seemed not to have noticed anything, his attention unable to extend past the fried chicken leg in his hand. However, when he saw Sacchun, he made no hesitation to ask, through a mouthful of food, "Zit true yer the daw'fer a' Ru'ee 'Ee?"

"It's impolite to speak to a lady with food in your mouth." Sacchun said simply, turning away from him, leaving the poor square-headed male with a quizzical look on his face.

"The judging's about to begin!" Lloyd said suddenly, looking up to the stage, where the cameramen (who had finally stopped hounding Sacchun) had gathered around. Nami was standing there, a smile on her face that might be dazzling to some, but looked scarily out of place to most.

"Okay, everyone!" Nami said in a falsely sweet voice that made Sacchun scoff loudly. "The Judging of the dishes will be beginning shortly! I'd just like to make a few announcements - "

"Okay, she's been here _how long? _When did she suddenly become the spokesperson for the festival?" Joe muttered with contempt. Mr. Starre, or Doug, seemed to have the same line of thought, judging from the scowl on his face.

"First and foremost," The imposter-Nami said, "I'd like to thank Paradise Orchard for sponsoring this year's Cooking Festival! Couldn't have happened without them." A round of quick applause, and she continued. "And of course, this festival would be nothing without all the volunteers and villagers who helped out, set up booths, and blessed us all with a culinary panoply fit for royalty!"

More applause, especially from Ray, who dropped his plate of fish-sticks in the process.

"A big thank you to the Flowerbud Television crew, who were able to spare a _few _cameramen to attend this event," She gestured to the '_few' _cameramen in front of her, and smiled that somewhat-scary-and-unnatural smile directly into one camera. "And with that out of the way..."

Mr. Starre looked understandably livid. Not only was he robbed of the chance to _make _the annual speech he usually did, he wasn't even credited for any of the work he had done for the festival. He made a mental note to have a word with Theodore about this.

"Now, before we begin the official judging, I'd like to make one more announcement, this one addressing the students of the school," Her smiled broadened.

"That is, possibly, the first time she's ever smiled while saying a sentence that included the words 'students'." Sacchun said in an undertone, but payed attention nonetheless.

"As the year is quickly coming to an end," _And thank the Goddess for that, _"I'm sure you're all both aware and excited for the annual tradition held for all tenth Grade students," _As undeserving and vexatious though they are, _"This year, I was given the responsibility to conduct all the plans having to do with it," _Or rather, everything was dumped on me, _"And I have worked very hard to plan a highly enjoyable trip," _Meaning I slaved away for the likes of you, _"I am, of course, talking about the overnight field-trip to Forget-Me-Not Valley." _Which, if I had my way, none of you would be going on. _

There were cheers, whoops, and general interest and excitement from all the students present. It was, indeed, something that all students looked forward to during their tenure at Flowerbud High, besides the Grad trip next year.

"_Forget-Me-Not! _Ahh, this is going to be awesome!" Sacchun clenched her fists in excitement. "Oh Goddess, _so _much to think about now! Who I'm going to be rooming with, how much money to bring for souvenirs, Oh man, Forget-Me-Not has this, like, _perfect _beach! And the scenery! The rolling hills and clear-as-crystal sky! Oooh, I'm going to have to buy like _five _rolls of film to get everything!"

"Breathe, Sacchun. _Breathe." _laughed Joe.

"I've heard the _fish _there tastes great..." said Ray dreamily.

"It's so rich in nature! The _woods _there, Oh man, they better let us bring bikes or something..." came Lloyd's equally dreamy voice.

"Uh, where are we going?" said Bob, thick as terra cotta.

"Before you all forget all about the _Cooking _Festival," Nami let out a silvery laugh at her own joke, earning her an even sharper glare from Doug, "I'd just like to add that the forms will be given out the following day, and will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis. This is just a little heads up! Now then, without further delay..."

The students finally quieted down, and Karen, though no one noticed, made a mad dash back to her station.

"The Cooking _Contest _shall begin! For this year's cooking contest, FBTV has graciously invited a _professional _Gourmet judge to be taste-testing the dishes of our talented students!" Nami said enthusiastically. She decided to add a rather lame, "...Yay!" to the end of the statement. There was visible panic on stage between the competing chefs, and Doug looked ready to burst out of his seat on stage and throttle the red-haired woman.

"A professional gourmet?!" said a bewildered Kurt. From the sound of the mutters around them, the other students were just a perplexed. "It's usually Doug who does the taste-testing, not a _Gourmet._" He explained to Dia.

"Oh wow, he's a dead man, then." Lloyd mused. "Mr. Starre _must _be thankful he was spared the punishment of tasting Karen's food this year."

Nami had turned to the gymnasium doors, and in walked - or, more accurately, waddled - an extremely over-weight man in a trimmed, comical purple tuxedo. He was wearing what looked like a blonde toupee over his lump of a head, and even had a monocle framing one of his small, beady eyes. His whole ridiculous get-up was topped off by a matching violet top-hat, more tall than fat, atop his head. It was as if they had just witnessed someone walk out of a cartoon or caricature sketch.

"Ohohohoho..." came the low rumble of his voice, which was rich and overly-dramatic. "What a _splendid _symphony of smells to satisfying my senses!"

The Gourmet continued his steady waddle to the stage, requiring assistance from a few students before being able to heave himself on to it. Nami shook his hand and the six participants all waved at him, their strained smiles making it very clear that this sudden twist in the festival was not to their liking.

"Oh. Oh wow." Sacchun said in a single breath that she seemed to have been holding in during his entrance. "D'ya think he's going to _eat _the loser?"

Ray shushed her just as Nami announced, "Introducing our Professional Gourmet, Mister... Er, Gourmet!" The round of applause was somewhat unenthusiastic, as most students were focusing on trying to discern the odd physique of the purple-clad man.

Microphone in hand and cameras trailing behind him, the Gourmet began his long walk to each of the six stations. First, he stopped at Erica's, his tiny eyes glinting with predatory hunger as he grabbed two slices of cake in his fat hands and, without knife, fork, or plate, began to shovel them down. It truly was a sight to behold.

"Mmrph! Delicious! The delicate layers of precisely added ingredients..." It was amazing how he managed to boom out his critique through mouthfuls of cake. "The strawberries, the icing, the perfect amount of sugar..." Erica looked more alarmed than pleased as the Gourmet plowed through her cake.

Dabbing his abnormally large face with a fancy handcloth, he moved on to Ellen. The Gourmet, showing again, his amazing skill at devouring food, practically inhaled the tiny sandwiches. "Simple, but filling, and the attention to detail when it comes to Sandwiches is vital, Truly amazing that a High School student could manage such a feat..."

Ellen thanked him in a meek voice and subtly pulled her platter towards her, indicating that it was time for him to move on. Showing no evident reaction to this, the Gourmet continued down his course and ended up at Kai's station.

"More dessert! How _grand._" He admired Kai's pineapple dessert, rubbing his many chins with his hand. Just like the two dishes before it, it was gone in only a few moments. "Oh, Oh my! A potential winner, right here, ladies and gentlemen!"

Kai smirked at the Gourmet's apparent bliss. "Ladies, this man would make a perfect husband! Coming home to such a well-crafted dessert every night is such a _tasty _scenario, I might just have to marry you!" This wiped the smirk off Kai's face, and the Gourmet even winked at him. _That _gave everyone mental images that were enough to make them lose their appetite.

The _Gourmet's_ appetite however, was strong as ever. His next stop was at Amber's station, where his eyes bulged slightly at the giant omelette in front of him, then took no time in tearing into it. "The cheese! The tomatoes! The onions! Oh, what a _harmony _they create! A perfect melange! If there was such thing as a perfect omelette, this would be it!" He, apparently, was also able to cry great gobs of tears as he ate as well. Amber looked proud of herself and not at all surprised at his reaction.

Finally, there were two left. The two blonde chefs waited eagerly for the Gourmet to waddle over to them. Stopping first at Gwen's station, the Gourmet had to bend over slightly to take a good whiff of her stew.

"Oh! Oh, Oh! I simply cannot wait to taste this!" He grabbed a large, fancy spoon out of his pocket and shoveled the stew into his mouth, almost drinking the thick substance as if it was soup. "The _vegetables _used, truly top quality! And the meat, fresh and cooked to a perfection! You have the makings of a _master _gourmet, you truly do, young lady!"

Gwen was pleased with herself, and had the urge to turn to Karen and stick out her tongue. She resisted though, for the sake of sportsmanship and what-not.

Finally, the moment most of the students had been waiting for - The Gourmet was about to meet the girl who may or may not single-handedly end his career. Or his life. Karen Lucine only smiled confidently at the Gourmet. The air in the gymnasium suddenly became still, as every pair of eyes darted and fixated themselves on the remaining participant on stage.

"A Stew as well?" Boomed the Gourmet's voice, even louder now that the entire population within the gym had fallen silent. "This shall make things easier to compare, at the very least."

He quickly polished off his fancy spoon with the fancy cloth he had used earlier, and plunged it into the thick substance. On the surface, all seemed fine, so the Gourmet had no reason at all to be terrified - everyone _else, _however, was awaiting the moment he passed out. Which brought up another painful dilemma - how on _earth _would they carry him to the Nurse's office? Or the ambulance?

The spoon was plunged into the stew, and it took what felt like an era for it to reappear, en route to the Gourmet's mouth.

"And down he goes..." Dia whispered anxiously.

The spoon finally made its way in between his two fat lips, and almost immediately, his eyes widened, the largest they had ever seen them.

"Okay, someone get Dr. Alex or something - " Sacchun started, before they heard a large boom come from the Gourmet; "AMAZING!"

"Did I ... Did I just hear him _say..._" Joe strained his neck forwards, as if his hearing had suddenly become poor. "_Amazing?_"

"This is nothing short of _amazing!" _he boomed again, over the growing buzz coming from the audience. "No Gourmet has _ever _made a stew of this quality, this is _perfection, beyond _perfection, even, this is pure, unending ecstasy!" If he wasn't crying before, he was certainly bawling now. "Young lady, without _ANY _doubt, you are the winner! Your level of cooking surpasses the standards of a typical teenager! You are a teenage prodigy!! You have a _career _ahead of you, I am sure of it!"

Karen seemed just as taken-aback as everyone else, and couldn't help but feel _just _a bit guilty. She made a mental note to give the prize to Kai after this was over. And maybe a hug. Or two. Or two-hundred.

She looked around at eveyrone watching. Nami was astounded - the delinquent girl in her English class was actually _good _at something? Kai was clapping along with everyone else, trying to look happy but failing to conceal a madly twitching eyebrow. Gwen's mouth was hanging open, and she looked as if she had just recieved a good, hard, slap in the face. Karen smugly hoped the cameras would do a close-up on her just at that moment.

"I ... I can't believe it. Either his taste buds are _dead, _or Karen actually managed to make something ... _edible._" Dia uttered, having a difficult time getting her words out.

"It... It was bound to happen one day." Breathed Lloyd. He felt, for some reason, a kind of savage pleasure that Karen had managed to, against all odds, cook something that could actually overcome the dishes of Erica, Ellen, Kai, Amber, and _Gwen. _Karen had triumphed over _Gwen_.

"Let's go congratulate her! C'mon guys!" Sacchun and Joe were once again ready to bound off to the stage, when Nami suddenly took the microphone and began speaking again.

"Congratulations, Karen Lucine! Her amazing Stew came out as... the... the winner!" She sounded as if she couldn't believe what she was saying. Noticing the cameras on her again, she tried to regain some of her false sweetness again. "And that concludes our cooking contest for the year! Thank you for attending everyone!"

"One moment, One moment, please!" The Gourmet rumbled over her, and taking the microphone again, said, "I believe the lady who organized this whole thing should take a taste of the winning stew!"

Doug once again looked as if he was ready to murder Nami where she stood, for being given the credit of organizing the whole occasion.

Nami looked somewhat surprised, but obliged to the Gourmet's idea. She walked over to Karen with an odd smile on her face, and Karen simply crossed her arms, as if Nami was not worthy of tasting the stew.

The Gourmet had devoured much of it, and all that was left was the sticky, thick substance that Karen had first concocted before Kai had added his own touches. Nami, however, did not _know this, _and thus assumed it couldn't be _too _bad if the Gourmet had deemed it as the winning dish. So she lazily took a spoon and scooped up some of the thick sort-of stew. Some cameramen gathered around her, snapping pictures and recording, as she lifted the spoon to her mouth and ate it, trying to keep an elegant smile through-out the whole thing. Before she knew it, she felt the room spinning, felt hot and sweaty and feverish all at once, and felt her hands get clammy. Lights from the cameras kept going off, but she couldn't resist feeling sick.

'_What the hell does the Gourmet see in this crap?!' _she thought woefully, wanting more than ever to get out of the light of the cameras. She was going to be sick. "I ... I think I'll go sit down now."

"Oh no, not yet, Miss!" boomed the voice of Lucy Clifford, who was now standing on stage, having abducted the microphone. In her hand was a coconut cream pie, with more layers of cream on it than anything else. Almost every student was grinning broadly at the pie in her hand. In her other hand, however, was a small slip of paper.

"The winner of the Throw-a-Pie-in-a-Teacher's-Face raffle is now going to be announced! And it is none other than..." She held the paper up and read it out loud, clearly. "Sacchun Yachiko! So, if you wouldn't mind..."

But Sacchun was already halfway to the stage, a look of pure wickedness and glee on her face.

"So who will you be pie-ing, Miss Sacchun?" Lucy asked, though they both already knew the answer to that question.

"I think... Hmm... Perhaps Ms Linette wouldn't mind!" Sacchun's grin widened so much, it threatened to split her face in two.

Nami was green in the face, trying to edge herself away from the TV crew and off the stage, but once Sacchun had uttered her name, every face and every camera and every light was on her yet again.

"Let 'er rip." said Lucy. Sacchun savoured the moment for as long as she could - Staring down a sick-looking Nami Linette, holding a coconut cream pie, ready to throw it at any moment. She couldn't keep herself from it any longer.

SPLAT.

And Nami stood there, cameras flashing wildly, her skin turning a lovely shade of green, her face dripping with thick white icing. Most of the students erupted into laughter, and even the Gourmet let out a poorly-concealed "Ohohohoho," of laughter.

"I guess she got her _just desserts, _eh?" Joe quipped, nudging Lloyd.

"That...That was an _awful _pun, Joe." Lloyd replied.

This was, most definitely, going down in the history of the greatest TV moments of all time.


	47. The M Word

**// Author's Note : **I hope you all had a great Hallowe'en - Haunted High seems like so far away now! - and I hope this chapter will help you start November off well. It really doesn't feel like I just wrote a chapter of Harvest High! Needless to say, this chapter is just a tad different compared to the past ones. Please don't expect the _whole _story to go in this direction, but as for Kurt and Dia's storyline, this is the kind of stuff you should expect. Also, you may want to reread Chapter 15 or any of the earlier chapters involving Dia, just to refresh your memory a bit. I know I haven't touched upon her or her backstory in a long time, so I don't blame anyone who's forgotten about her by now.

In other news, my friend Singkatsu has finally come back to her fanfic, Opposites Attract, after a good 8 or more months. That is indeed worth celebrating, so I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a good romance story. Her's in particular is about Ray and Maria, a couple we, oddly enough, don't hear about all that often.

And everyone who reads and reviews this story rocks! The reviews were so nice, I seriously love you all. Hoping to break 300 with this chapter, so read and enjoy - and if you feel even slightly inclined to do so, leave a review as well! Thanks so much everyone! **End Author's Note // **

Chapter 46: The M Word

_A dream._

_That's all it is._

_And yet, it's not._

_How curious it is, how the unbelievable and the believable can dance so closely, crossing boundaries and stepping, ever so lightly, into each others' vicinities. _

_At some point, however, through all this teasing, the line was crossed._

_ No longer stepping, and no longer stepping lightly. All subtlety, all discretion in the dance was lost, and yet, their grace was not._

_Leaping over, ribbons of ether streaming from them, rendering that sacred line useless, and changing the world forever._

This was the prelude that would play every morning before Kurt woke up. A teasing dream, one that would bother him for the few minutes he lay in bed, trying to sort out his thoughts and his dreams. These days, however, Kurt had a significantly harder time distinguishing between the occurances that took place while he was unconcious, versus the ones that took place while he was concious.

And it had been that way ever since February, ever since that... '_cat' _had prowled into his life. There was much he didn't know about the world, that was certain, but trying to swallow the implications that came with a walking, talking, stuffed cat, was just a bit too hard for him. Every day he would wake up, imagining Jinx and everything that had to do with him as being part of a dream. But after fully waking himself, when the remnants of his actual dreams faded into the recesses of his mind, Jinx would still be there. There was no avoiding it; magic existed, and it was something he had to come to terms with almost every morning.

Sometimes he wondered if Dia had to go through the same thing every morning, but upon meeting her each day, it was hard to believe that she had even noticed the fact that she was living with a sentient toy animal!

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and letting them adjust to the sunlight, Kurt got up slowly. It was a day off today, and, like the rest of his spare time, he would be spending it with Dia. After taking care of everything that usually needs to be taken care of during the morning, he set out for his girlfriend's - which just happened to be the next building over.

May's weather was just as hot as ever, teasing the students with hints of the approaching summer vacation. Trees overhead were at their most beautiful, the canopies of leaves casting large shadows on the ground. At that moment, there was a gust of wind and the leaves all rustled, clinging to their branches. Out of the corner of his eye, Kurt saw the shadows on the ground move as a result of the rustling leaves, and jumped.

This was one of the things Jinx had done to the boy as well. If there was a possibility that an enchanted toy could exist, Kurt suddenly began to expect _anything _to jump out at him. It was as if the walls of the world he had lived in for so long had been torn down, and he was wandering around the world that lay beyond, seeing it for what it really was.

"Just a minute!" Answered a frantic Dia when Kurt had finally arrived at the building, climbed the stairs, and knocked on her door. With the shuffling of items and the sound of a drawer opening and shutting, Dia came to the door and greeted Kurt.

"Hey." He greeted her with a kiss - something he had only recently been able to do _without _blushing.

"Hi." She replied, somewhat breathlessly.

"What were you doing?" an amused Kurt asked, eyeing the drawer of the end table that she had just shut.

"N-Nothing!"

"Then... that shawl poking out from that drawer is nothing? Along with that bag from _Mineral Apparel?" _Before Dia could stop him, Kurt went ahead and yanked the pink, furry scarf out. He dangled it in front of her, torn between amusement and incredulity.

"It's _actually _a pashmina." Dia corrected him sharply. "And I... er... I was just stopping by... and thought It might look nice _on - ... _on the _cat! _Jinx, get over here!"

As expected, the black toy cat walked into the living room from the kitchen, his synthetic tail standing high.

"You called, _meow_?"

"First of all," Dia put her hands on her hips, "What did I tell you about adding 'meow' to the end of all your sentences?"

Jinx gave her a peculiar expression. "But according to the research I did... Cats do indeed say meow! And I am a cat! So does it not make sense that I say 'meow'?"

"Real cats don't even _say _that! If you're going to try and imitate them, at least make a meowing _sound."_

"Is there anything _else _you wanted, other than to criticize my manner of speaking?" The cat stubbornly said, denying her any more time to pick apart his speech.

Dia looked back at the pashmina and blushed, before grabbing it out of Kurt's hand.

"Hey, that pashmina matches your face quite nicely." Kurt quipped.

"Too _bad _I bought it for _Jinx, riiiiight?" _She glowered at the cat, and without giving him the opportunity to reply, scooped him up and wrapped him up in the pashmina.

"Un_hand _me, you - wh-what _is _this thing?!" Jinx struggled to free himself from his pink, fluffy prison.

"It's your surprise, _er, present! _From Mineral Apparel!" Dia told the cat, tightening the pashmina around him.

"Right," Kurt said through his laughter. "What is it _really _for? I'm almost inclined to believe it _is _the cat's, because I just can't imagine _you _buying something like that."

"Oh fine," Dia snapped, letting the pink scarf unravel and drop Jinx on the ground. "If you _must _know, I saw it in that nettlesome magazine the other day. And it - it looked ... pretty."

"Who are you and what have you done with Dia?" Kurt's cheap joke and mock-wide eyes earned him a punch from his girlfriend.

"Shut up!"

The two - and a _half, _seeing as Jinx was with them - sat down for lunch at Dia's round dining table that really was only big enough for two people.

"Your cooking's improving." Kurt remarked, remembering how ... _Karen-esque _the girl's cooking had been.

"You start to care more once you're cooking for two." said Dia, then, "Yes, I purposely excluded you. Why? Because you gobble _anything _up! You don't even have taste buds!", after Jinx had narrowed his eyes in a glare.

"You're just _mean, _m-- ... er..."

"Good, you're learning to hold your tongue! Er... If you have one."

"If I _had_ one, I'd most certainly be sticking it out at you right now." retorted the stuffed cat haughtily.

"Wow, I guess things never really get lonely over here! It's like taking care of a baby that's ... well, already mastered the art of speaking and of being a brat." Kurt remarked, getting a chuckle out of Dia. "You'd actually make a pretty good mom, you know."

Kurt continued to eat, without even noticing that Dia had slowly set her fork down and Jinx's chewing had slowed. The awkward silence lasted for only a few moments before Kurt noticed the flustered look on his girlfriend's face.

"Oh no! No, Dia, It was just a _general _compliment, I wasn't making any kind of... inference or... _request. _Definitely not!" he hastily said, dropping his fork as well.

Dia laughed and regained her composure quickly. "Please, Kurt, I know! But it was pretty funny seeing _you _get your foot stuck in your mouth like that. Plus, your brother now owes me five dollars."

"Wait, what? What kind of deals are you making with my brother?" He asked, eyebrows raised so high they threatened to disappear under his bandana.

With a cat-like grin to rival that of Jinx's, Dia replied, "Oh well, you know, since I get to see you with your _defenses _down, Joe's offered me a bit of cash for every juicy detail about you that I can get back to him."

"That - That's just... Dia! That's just _evil!" _Kurt cried over Dia's cackles.

"Meow, that's odd, I thought you were selling your body for money!"

The couple stopped and looked at Jinx, alarmed.

"_What! _No! I would _never! _K-Kurt, you know I wouldn't _ever _do s-something like -"

"Well," Jinx piped up, " That's what my _research _on teenagers informed me, you know, some of them resort to _that _and other things like giving - "

"Thaaaaat is enough out of you, mister. And this research you've been doing sounds remarkably questionable." Dia said, but couldn't help but laugh along with Kurt at the cat's shrewd idea of the human world. "No, no, I haven't been selling my body _or _any juicy secrets about you, Kurt."

Grateful though he was, Kurt wasn't going to miss _his _opportunity to cackle. "Wow, Dia, I've never seen _you _get as flustered as you were just now."

"Nevermind, I'm calling Joe up."

"Noooo!" cried Kurt, but in the end the pair of them were laughing.

Once the two of them were sitting on the couch, the balcony door open with a peaceful breeze joining their company, Kurt said, "You must have a twin out there, you know."

"And what exactly makes you say this?"

Kurt rolled his head over to look at her. "Because I almost certainly got the evil twin. If you ever happen to meet a long-lost twin sister, point her in my direction." He joked.

Once again, they laughed in unison, but Dia's did not ring with humour.

"That was somewhat tactless, Kurt." Dia said, never one to hide her feelings.

Kurt got up slightly. "Dia, No..," He felt slightly hot around the collar, "I'd never want any other version of you. Your little streak of evil is one of the things I love about you! I wouldn't trade you for anyone." Following this sentence, Kurt's concious pierced his mind with a sharp split-second-lasting image of Meg, as it tended to do at the worst of times.

Dia crossed her arms and shook her head. "That's not it, no... It's just..." She paused and looked out at the wide, never-ending sky. "I... I really _do _wish I had a long-lost sibling to find." The words she whispered were soft and a little somber, barely reaching Kurt's ears before being stolen by the breeze.

"Your brother!" Kurt blurted out, "Your brother, isn't _he _... out there?"

"The more appropriate question to ask would be... 'Is he still alive?'. And I... don't think I'd need to answer that question. At least, not with words." The girl's eyes went back to his, now carrying the reflection of the blue sky in them, due to the tears threatening to spill.

"I'm sorry, Dia, I've really been... I..." Finding that words had failed him, Kurt simply moved over and put his arm around his girlfriend. After a deep breath, he continued, "I've been an idiot, I haven't been thinking straight. And of course, I'm sorry to hear that your... your brother..." He looked hopefully to Jinx, who was sitting on the coffee table eating a tea biscuit non-chalantly. Surprisingly, Jinx had no words to offer.

"No," Dia said simply, "You certainly have not been an idiot, Kurt. You've been kind and supportive and a myriad of other good things that would take too long to list. You've been a _friend._ And ... well, that's why I'm telling you this."

"Dia, you don't have to, I'm sorry I brought it up..." He replied truthfully.

Wiping her tears, she continued, "No, I want to get this out now. I must warn you, though - This is the first time I've ... been close enough to someone to even think of telling this story. I might be a bit rusty."

Moving his hand to her knee, he told her, "I'm listening." The warmth in his touch and voice spread through Dia, giving her strength.

"My brother, we... we seperated a while ago. He was ten, and I was about seven...

_"Jamie... you're not going to sneak out again! You know that they'll... they'll punish you again." I told him, wagging my finger sternly, still wrapped up in my bath-robe having just come out of the bath._

_"Shhh, Dia! They wouldn't punish me so much if they didn't overhear you and your big mouth!" retorted the purple-haired youth, his head stuck out the window as he looked around for any villagers passing-by. "Besides," he flashed a cocky grin, "The Goddess asked for me. She's waiting."_

_"The Goddess?" I scoffed. "Don't be silly! You know she doesn't -"_

_He pulled his head back so fast and turned to me, his icy blue eyes full of hurt and shock. "Do _not _say she doesn't exist, Dia. Don't even _think _it." _

_My words fell flat as I saw the look in his eyes. Jamie was dead serious. The look he gave could instill belief in anyone, even within the most obstinate heathen._

_But I couldn't lose this argument. I couldn't. "Jamie, you can't. You can't, you can't, you can't!" I cried, each time getting louder. He looked murderous._

_"Stop! Stop at once!" He hissed. _

_"I can get louder." I threatened. _

_He removed himself from the window and stalked over to me. "Dia, listen! Would _you _turn down an invitation from the Goddess?"_

_"You don't understand!" I cried, wishing he could just read my mind as easily as a book and take my thoughts without having to put any effort into expressing them. "Jamie, They'll... They'll take you away if they catch you again." I said finally._

_My brother's graceful composure was lost for a moment as his eyes widened and he backed up slowly._

_"They're gonna take you away!" I said again, seeing the effect it had on him. "I heard them talkin', Jamie, I heard them. Because you're always going on about fairies and sprites and m- and all those other imaginary - "_

_"They exist!" He spat, his bottom lip quivering._

_"I don't care!" I stamped my foot. "They're going to take you away! To a special school or somethin'!"_

_He turned around, trying to act stoic. "Let them."_

_"I will not!" I stamped my foot once again for emphasis. "I'll be all alone, did ya know that? Do you want me to be all alone?!"_

_"Dia..." He regained his composure and the tone of his voice went back to that of my caring older brother. He approached me with outstretched arms, his ice blue eyes crackling with a flame of passion or of something else that I couldn't quite recognize. "You'll never be alone, regardless of what happens to me! You know I'll always watch over you, and when I can't, the Goddess will do just as good - no, she'll do a _better _job."_

_"Shut up!" I yelled finally. Being a kid of seven, I wasn't quite strong enough to hold back tears yet. "She's all you ever talk about! The Goddess this, The Goddess that! You clearly care for her more than you do for me! Well she's a dumb old hag!"_

_The fire in his eyes then went from passionate to burning anger. "Don't say another word, Dia." _

_"Heh, well, you wanna know what else she is?" I taunted, feeling reckless and angry. "She's a green-haired weirdo, a gross old crone, a disgusting wit--"_

_Eyes bulging out, Jamie finally pounced on me and started yelling. _

_"You're not getting away after saying such blasphemous things, Dia!" he roared, the flames in his eyes now a full-out inferno. His grammar always had been exceptionally good for a ten-year old. I just laughed and cried, but tried to keep my laughter loud and mirthless. Every minute he spent beating the pulp out of me was a minute he spent away from the forest and away from his 'Goddess'._

_Plans had a way of backfiring. Horribly._

_He lost control of his anger, which, I suppose, is just a strong testament as to how much the Goddess meant to him. Leaping to his feet, he held out his hand, and two mystical balls of blue light appeared - one on each of my shoulders, feeling like invisible hands gripped on the cloth of my bathing robe, pulling me up into the air. It was the most surreal feeling I ever felt - 'surreal' isn't even strong enough to describe it. I don't remember what exactly I did - I suppose I screamed? Cried? Or did I just continue laughing? _

_There I was, suspended in the air, Jamie below me, looking as if he was biting back fear and trying to act as if he had intended to do this to me. It was clear, however, that he had no idea what would happen next. _

_All of the commotion was sure to wake someone up - I had wondered why no one had woken up yet. Sure enough, the door burst open and in ran our two foster parents._

_"Jamie!" Yelled the man, who's face and name I've forgotten. He tackled my brother to the ground, while the woman just stared at me with her hands covering her whimpering mouth. "That's the last straw!"_

_My laughing came to an end, and I flailed my arms. "No!", I screamed. "You're not! You can't! JAMIE!"_

_"It's m - It's ... It's m -" The woman whimpered, looking terrified._

_"The Goddess is real!" I cried, in an attempt to reconcile with Jamie. "She is, Jamie! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't leave!"_

_The man grabbed him by his collar. He choked and I felt the light disappear around me; I fell. "That's it, Jamie. That's it. We're calling them, now."_

_"I told you!" I sobbed. "I told you they'd... they'd take you..."_

_"Dia..." My brother breathed. _

_"Why'd you have to do it, Jamie? Why?" I yelled through my tears. I looked at him and he looked at me. Somehow, in that moment, we had both grown up immensely - in that few seconds that we locked eyes, when we were able of seeing into each others' futures - it changed us. We both came to the realisation that we would never see each other again. _

_"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." he said weakly, trying to put all unsaid emotions into those two words. "I'm sorry."_

_They just pulled him out of his room and... I cried. I just sat there and cried for the rest of the night - I don't know if I slept or not, but I cried more than I ever had. By the time morning came, I felt the cold morning breeze and was reminded painfully of the night before, as the window was still wide open from Jamie's attempt to escape. I ran to it, not knowing what hour of the morning was, and I saw - I saw the car._

_It was snowing lightly - the first snowfall of the year. Thus the man in black to whom my foster parents were speaking to stuck out. And Jamie was by the river, kicking rocks into it - each time he did so, he'd look up hopefully, as if expecting something to appear. I contemplated yelling out to him, but I decided against it, as my voice had gone through enough of an ordeal last night. I just watched as the sun's glow strengthened slowly and steadily._

_Soon enough, the man in black walked over to Jamie and put a hand on his shoulder, slowly steering him away from the river and towards the car. _

_I couldn't see the expression on anyone's faces, but from their posture I could tell that the two foster parents were grateful to be rid of him, and he himself was scared and worried and wishing to be anywhere else. Well, my seven-year-old mind couldn't have put this together, but I've had plenty of time to dwell on this morning. It was easily the hardest morning of my life._

_Time got the best of me, and soon the man and Jamie were in the car, all of Jamie's luggage - which was not much at all - in it with them. Not even a wave good-bye from my foster parents, and the car that carried my brother away from me was gone, speeding off through the falling snow._

_But then, just as my eyes filled themselves with tears again, I looked over to the river and thought I saw, for a second, the faintest image of a beautiful woman with two long, green braids._

Dia sipped her tea and gave Kurt a moment or two to swallow this whole story.

"The Goddess, you think?" He asked dimly.

"I do believe that was her." Dia calmly stated, trying to keep her emotions in check. Luckily she did a better job of it than her seven-year-old self.

"I ... I see... But how do you know he's... well...?"

Dia inhaled and looked to the sky again. "I received a letter only three years later, when I was the age he was when I last saw him. My foster parents had indeed sent him to a boarding school for those who were ... mentally unstable. He did not last long there." She said softly. The breeze grew slightly stronger, sending a chill down their spines. Jinx looked at Dia curiously having finished his tea biscuit and listening attentively to her tale.

"Dia... I'm so sorry... That's quite an experience to go through as a kid...Heck, that's a dreadful experience for anyone to go through." Kurt offered his hand slightly. "They - your foster parents - took him away, though? Isn't that just a bit extreme? Every kid has a pretty wild imagination..."

"Well, needless to say, that particular set of parents were a tad more strict about the beliefs that circulated around their house. They believed in The Goddess, but hearing that she could take a material form and conjure up all this 'witchcraft' was, to them, the words of a heathen." Dia said, having some difficulty keeping her voice steady. "And of course, Jamie didn't help with the fact that he was not at all quiet about his beliefs - he took them to extremes that most... 'normal' kids would not. His nightly walks through the forest, for example, was one of the many things he'd do, regardless of what rules our foster parents had set for him. He wasn't at all a well-behaved child. And finally... Don't forget that that night, he had gone so far as to _use _magic, and in front of the two parents as well. Not knowing what to do, they put as much distance between themselves and him as was possible. It wasn't normal or _safe _to have someone like that in a normal society, especially when he clearly had so little control over his powers, whatever they were."

Kurt felt as he had the night he first learned of Jinx's existence. Overwhelmed, and once again, lost in the world. "Wow... I was just thinking this morning that you were handling this whole magic business a lot better than an average person would. I was dumbfounded since February, actually, as to how you could take it in stride, but now I know..."

Dia nodded and got up, stretching. "I was a silly kid, refusing to believe in things like fairies and sprites and magic. And The Goddess. No kid should ever be like that, it's ... it's simply not right." She said, the corner of her mouths curving into a bittersweet smile.

"I never would have thought you as someone immensely spiritual." Her boyfriend said.

"Ever since that day..." Dia turned around and pulled out, from under her top, a small pendant. It was of four long pale green diamonds pointing inwards, in the shape of a pointed cross that got bigger as it left the center. It was the symbol of The Goddess.

"I've always believed."


	48. Scholitics

**// Author's Note: **Sorry for the delay, blah blah blah, Chapter 47 - GO! The title is a combination of two words, which basically make up this chapter; School and Politics. Though, I don't think I needed to point that out, but hey XD. I hope you all had a great holiday, and hopefully I can get at least one more chapter up before going back. With this chapter done, there are only three left in Season 2, before the very exciting Season 3 begins. Anyway, enjoy!

Thanks for the reviews, and a huge "Hooray!" for Ekoaleko getting the 300th review! She should... get some form of prize or something. If I can actually think of something, I wouldn't mind making one for her. 300 Reviews, holy _cow. _I don't know what to say. Just imagine I'm changing my font-size to 72 and bolding it when I say: **THANKS!!!! **

I'm sure you guys know this already, but your support is a huge driving force behind this story, and if real-life circumstances allowed it, I'd update a _lot _more, 'cause I love you guys.

And for Island of Happiness players - did anyone else notice that there were two female ranchers named "Megan" and "Sachi"? ... Sound familiar at all? **End Author's Note // **

Chapter 47: Scholitics

Louis was an interesting teacher, indeed. Mr. Brassen was still on his mysterious voyage to meet Liz's parents, which was interesting and a little awkward for a couple of that age, so Louis - or, Mr. Bennett - had taken up the class and made an interesting impression. Admittedly, he hadn't touched much of this high school math since his own high school days, and he gave off very strong vibes that he wasn't entirely sure what he was doing half the time. The truth being, however, that he had agreed to this thinking that teaching Grade 10 Math couldn't be _too _hard, and had thus made little preparation. Not one of his wisest choices, he was now realizing.

"And that's why _x _would be 20." He concluded, writing the answer neatly on the board. Louis did have neat handwriting, something that Mr. Brassen clearly lacked.

"No," Amber said slowly, looking down at her notebook as a frown appeared on her face. "It's 48. At least, that's what I got."

"Oh dear," Louis said softly, "Did I miss a step somewhere...?" He went through each step in his head, muttering to himself as he did so.

"And _this _is why we only get, like, three questions done in a day." Joe said, wheeling around to face Lloyd, as he usually did when Louis had to go through a question again. This seemed to happen frequently enough that Math class had become one of the more leisurely classes, and some students even dared to look forward to it.

"I don't mind," Lloyd said, math book aside, writing frantically in a notebook, "More time for me to catch up on Nami's _crazy _homework load."

"_She _says its to prepare us for the super-uber-english exam," said Sacchun, who had soon joined in the conversation once Louis had rewritten the problem for the third time, "But _I _think it's just her way of torturing us."

"What happened to the _good old-fashioned _methods of torture," sighed Lloyd, putting down his pen after completing a paragraph of his essay, "Like whipping, or electric chairs, or - or the _guillotine _or something."

"And those are really preferrable to writing an English essay?" Joe asked with incredulity, quirked eyebrow and all, "It's not _that _bad."

"Did _you _do it?"

"Oh, hell no."

"Me neither. Actually, I _did _do it, but then Momo ate it." Sacchun informed them. The boys gaped at her.

"Your dog ate your homework?" snickered Joe.

"It's true! I'm being 110% serious!" She replied earnestly. "In fact, Momo's been going on an eatin' spree lately. I'm really not sure why, but she's just been finding and eating the oddest things." Sacchun put her finger on her chin lightly, apparently thinking.

"Have... you been feeding her?" asked Lloyd, still attempting to complete his essay before the end of class.

"Oh, gee, no, Lloydie, I've been starving her!", was the sarcastic remark Sacchun returned to him. "I'm not quite sure. I might have to take her to the vet."

"I'll come!" Joe said eagerly, "I heard the vet has a _cute _daughter."

A smirk quickly appearing on Sacchun's face, she voiced what Lloyd was also thinking; "So, back in the game already, huh?"

"Gotta keep a positive outlook, Sachy. You can't win the season if you quit 'cause of one injury." Joe replied, sounding somewhat playful.

"Why go to a stinky vet's place to find a cute girl when you're surrounded by them right here in school?" Sacchun drawled.

"I don't see any cute girls. Do you, Lloyd?" Joe said playfully, nudging his friend.

However, Lloyd pulled his arm back and snapped, "Will you two stop flirting? It's _weird_."

"_Weeeeeiiiird, _is it?" Sacchun sang. "What if I were to become the next Katie, and you had to deal with Joe'n me doing... well... the kind of stuff he did with Katie?"

"That would be too weird for words." Lloyd replied, still trying to keep his focus on his essay.

"Oh my, Sacchun," Joe said in a playfully seductive voice, "Is _that _what's been on your mind lately? I'm glad I'm not the only one who's been having these... _fantasies._"

"Weird. Very, _very, _weird." droned Lloyd, pencil still speeding across the paper.

Smirk growing wider, Sacchun said, "Why yes, Joe, your very being _consumes _my mind! The moments I spend away from you are like _torture! In fact, _I'd rather sit in an electrical chair, or have my head chopped off by a guillotine -"

"Seriously getting weird, guys!"

"It's so good to be able to talk _openly _about our feelings, Sacchun! I've kept them bottled up for _so long, _they might just - "

"_This is getting way too weird, cut it out, guys..."_

"Images of you keep me up at night, as I pine for your soft, gentle lips - "

_"Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it."_

"Images of _you _keep me up at night, as I lay awake and touch - "

Lloyd's pencil snapped, and along with it, his patience. "GRAHH!" he exclaimed, wringing his hands. "You two _enjoy _this torturing, don't you?"

Joe and Sacchun's raucous laughter was answer enough. Finally returning to the dull work assigned to them by Louis, both of them realised that as they did so, both their hearts were beating a little faster.

Louis was, as a matter of fact, a popular topic of discussion among the female student body at Flowerbud High. He was, without competition, the youngest teacher at the school, even if he was just a substitute. Technically, he was still a young university student, simply on summer vacation. It was natural that he'd be getting some attention from the giddy, hormone-driven teenage girls of the school.

"He's pretty cute, though, so it's not surprising." Sacchun said after Lloyd brought this up. It was only a mere five minutes later, after a sad attempt at trying to do math work.

"You _must _be talking about me, then." Joe chirped, turning around to join the conversation once more.

"Don't start that again, or..." Lloyd warned, giving them both a glare that, more or less, finished his sentence for him.

"No, dufus, we were talking about Louis, and all the girls who have been fawning over him lately." Sacchun informed him.

With a bitter glance in Louis' direction, Joe said, "I don't understand _how _girls can develop these crushes on _teachers _when they're constantly surrounded by boys _their age! _What makes that dork so attractive?"

"Joe!" Sacchun snapped, "We're just at the point in our lives where we start to look towards mature, educated _men," _She added emphasis on the last word, "Not goofy, annoying _little boys._"

"Mature, educated men, eh?" Joe said, sounding unimpressed. He turned to Louis, who was still scratching his head over the problem he had screwed up earlier.

"Well, I didn't say _he _was mature and educated! I'm just saying that those are the qualities girls start to look for at this age!" She retorted, sounding flustered.

"_Riiight, _and Carl, your _boyfriend, _is just the textbook definition of mature, despite looking like a ten-year old..."

"Do you _want _me to to shove my calculator down your throat? Cause I _will, _bandana boy."

"Okay -" Lloyd interjected, "I can't tell if you guys were flirting _then, _or if you're flirting _now._"

"Definitely not! Joe's maturity is about the same level as it was when he was _five!_"

"And Sacchun wouldn't flirt with me anyway since she only goes for guys who _look _like they're five!"

Lloyd sighed and went back to trying to finish his essay, choosing, not to try and stop them from bickering, but to drown them out instead. It was a much easier solution, and one that didn't drain one's sanity.

One thing that he had noticed, however, was that out of all the girls who had become smitten with Louis, none had been so blatant about it as Ann. Either she was doing a very bad job at hiding it, or she was simply unconcerned with the reactions of others, but it was clear to almost everyone that she was the most eager to win Louis' heart.

Her extra edge that kept her ahead of the other girls was, of course, the fact that she _lived _with their substitute teacher and her current love interest.

"Well, I would guess he's assumed a kind of brotherly-fatherly-uncle-ly type role if he's been, well... _babysitting _her, more or less." Sacchun said once Lloyd brought up _this _interesting bit of information. Another five minutes of attempting to stay focus had passed since their last conversation.

"I guess so, but It's just so weird. I can't imagine having a crush on someone I _lived _with... I just can't even begin to think about how that'd work." said the brunette.

Sacchun giggled. "Heehee, just try and imagine having a crush on _Joe, _then you'll know how it is! ... Kinda!"

It only took a few seconds of picturing this scenario for Lloyd to push it as far back into his mind as he could. "No, Sacchun. Just - just no..."

"Why am I hearing my name again, and why is it being accompanied by shudders and groans?" Joe once again gave up his feeble attempt at working and swung around to face his two friends.

"Just Sacchun poisoning my mind, is all." said Lloyd faintly, his face against the desk now.

"We were discussing A-Double-N and her C-R-U-S-H on our S-U-B-S-T- ... er, Louis." Sacchun pointed to Ann, looking up eagerly at Louis as he taught, then to Louis himself, who was fumbling with the chalk.

"She changed her hair, too," Joe remarked, "It's all straightened and she has those weird bangs, too."

"You notice when _she _changes her hair, but if I so much as put my hair in a pony tail, it goes _right_ over your head, hm?" Sacchun said with a voice of mock annoyance.

"Oh, of course not, dear Sacchy! For, little do you know, the first thing I do when I get home is pull out my journal stuffed under all those boxes in my closet and record every little detail of your sublime beauty. Sometimes I add a diagram or two!"

Sacchun's raised eyebrow and half-grin, half-grimace suggested that she was torn between amusement and incredulity. "Okay, Lloyd, now, I'm pretty sure he was just kidding, but when you get home, do me a favour and check his closet anyway."

"I'd much rather stay _away _from Joe's closet of doom," said Lloyd, once again refocusing himself on his essay, "Now, I should be done with just a couple more lines..."

"Ah yes!" exclaimed Louis, suddenly, "The answer _is _48! Very good! Next question, now..."

And the bell rang, as if on cue.

---

"But I helped you _win _those, It's not fair!"

Turning on her heel, golden brown hair swinging behind her, she snapped, "Yes, I _did _win because of your help! And had I not, you probably would have won a silly cooking contest for the zillionth time! And everyone _still _sees you as the superior chef _anyway! _Whereas I ruined _his _first date _ever _and possibly scared him away from girls forever. _Now _who do you think is more deserving of these?" She flashed the two pieces of paper and glared at the tanned boy.

"_Fine,_" he grumbled. He had softened once being called 'the superior chef', which was true on many levels. "But really, you owe me!"

"I know, I know." She turned to head towards the staircase, that bothersome organ in her chest beating loudly and quickly.

---

"Mr. Starre's late." Sacchun stated, through a mouthful of marshmallows she had pilfered from the ingredients cupboard. For Doug to be late was interesting indeed, as he was known for his punctuality. In fact, this was the first time since they had started Culinary classes that Doug had not been waiting for them within the classroom or at the door. Culinary classes, themselves, had become much more demanding as of late. For a class that centered around cooking and eating, it came with a surprising amount of homework. Doug had them doing everything from food critiques to recipe analysis, and many classes were spent discussing the culture and background of the different foods they were attempting to make. It was, as Joe once put it, 'a lot like an _actual class!'._

"Maybe we have a sub!" came Nina's hopeful voice.

"Two subs in a row? Whoo!" cheered Joe.

"No," Amber said, frowning, "Dad had a lesson prepared for today, and we left the house together... unless something came up."

"Marshmallows, anyone?" offered Sacchun, holding out the bag.

"Call the office on the intercom system, Amber." Maria suggested, ignoring and silently disapproving of Sacchun's marshmallow-eating.

Amber shook her head, her red-braid swinging side to side as she did. "No, the intercom system's been busted down here for the longest time, and they never got around to fixing it."

And so the class was stuck with nothing to do but wait in the large culinary class for their teacher. Many of the students threatened to leave, bringing up some vague rule that if teachers weren't in their classes after fifteen minutes, the students no longer needed to attend. These attempts were, of course, brought to an end by Mia.

"But really, I swear I heard Mr. Wallace say something about that at our first assembly! ... I think!" Joe groaned at the blue-haired girl.

"Excuse me, Joe, but I think I know my own father, and more importantly, the _school rules, _better than yourself!" She retorted, standing tall with her arms crossed.

"Then maybe you can tell me where exactly I might find him, Miss Wallace.", said a loud, shaking voice from the doorway. They turned to find Doug walking in, his heavy eyebrows contorted in the deepest scowl they had seen on him. Everything from his facial expression to the way he walked suggested only one emotion: anger.

"S-Sir? You're looking for my father?" Mia asked meekly, swinging around to face him. She continued to stand tall, refusing to let the others find a weakness in her after she had so strongly defended the school rules.

"I did _say _that." He stomped his way over to his desk, clearing a path through the students in the way with little to no effort.

"He's - He's on a business trip, at least that's what he told me..." Mia pondered for a moment, walking over to his desk to have a more exclusive conversation with the teacher. "I would have thought all the teachers would have been informed."

"They were not!" Doug yelled, his thick red facial hair giving him the uncanny look of a lion. "He has to stop taking off like this! He may be principal, and I seldom question his ways, but dammit...!"

Mia looked like she had been slapped in the face. It was the first time any of the students had seen Mr. Starre that angry (However, the instance where Sacchun had nearly shaved his moustache clean off with a butcher's knife - by accident, of course - had certainly held the record until now). The fact that this new level of anger was directed at her _father _made her feel a little insulted. "I'm sure he has a good reason for this." She said, a bit huffily.

As Mr. Starre continued to fume at Mia and Amber tried to calm him down, the rest of the students discussed excitedly what might be going on within the staff of Flowerbud High.

"Nami killed him." Joe stated without hesitation. "It all makes sense. She forces him to write a letter to Mia, saying he was going on a business trip, then she's all KA-SLICE with a butcher knife and -"

"Okay, we all agree Nami's _evil, _but that doesn't make her a murderer..." Lloyd interjected, just as Joe was making several violent gestures with an invisible butcher knife to an invisible Theodore.

"But really, I've never seen Mr. Starre this mad..." Sacchun leaned on a stove and continued, "Maybe Mr. Wallace forgot to pay him or something. Maybe he'll start a strike! Yeees!" She then turned to Mr. Starre's desk and yelled "Viva la Revolution, Mr. Starre! Whooo!" Earning herself an inquisitive look from him and the two girls around his desk.

"Dad, can this wait...?" Amber asked tentatively, giving the clock a furtive glance. "Half the class is over, and that recipe we prepared for this lesson..." She played nervously with her braid in one hand.

"Right." Doug planted his hands on his desk and pushed himself up with great speed. "The lesson. Today's lesson. _Yes._" He pulled a drawer open and took out an unopened packet of looseleaf, ripping it open and handing it to Mia. "Pass these out among your fellow students, young lady."

Mia obliged, taking the looseleaf and handing it to the now-settling class.

"Schoolwork? During a revolution? Bah on that, Sir! Bah!" Sacchun scoffed. "I thought we'd be cooking today! What's up with the paper?"

Amber frowned and turned to her father. "Really, dad, we're supposed to be _cooking..._"

Ignoring his students, Mr. Starre waited till each student had a piece of paper in front of them and were looking up at him. "We're going to be learning how to write an... article. A review, in fact."

Amber gaped at him, to which he simply handed her a looseleaf and pointed to a desk. She sat down slowly, full of contempt for her father's new lesson.

"Yes. I want you all to write a review of the Cooking contest." Doug said, pacing back and forth with his arms behind his back. His voice was calm once again, but the kind of calm one would expect to hear from a ringmaster announcing a highly dangerous, highly risky trapeze act. "Write about _everything, _the good and the _bad, _the different foods you ate, the booths you stopped at, the contest itself, and of course... the _brand new _experience of it being broadcasted on live TV and the wonderful _hostess _who made it all possible."

Now the source of Doug's vexation was revealed; for years he had been the host at Flowerbud's annual Cooking festival, and Nami's sudden and unexpected overtaking of the role was not something he was going to let slide. And from the sound of it, the arrival of FBTV News wasn't exactly planned with his input, either.

"Every little detail. I want thorough critiques, and if I'm - er, _you're _lucky, we can get it _published _somewhere, too..." He continued to pace between the rows, prowling like a cat who planned to dine on mouse that evening.

"How many words does it have to be?"

"Oh, as many words as are needed, Mr. Daggett. Yes, as many words as are needed..."

"_Amber, your dad's gone insaaaane -" _whispered a voice that sounded very much like Sacchun's, before Doug let out a colossal "Shhh!" and the class settled down to work.

The work was easy for those in any of Ms. Linette's classes. Most of the students seemed only to write scathingly negative reviews of her performance as hostess, which seemed to be just what Doug was looking for. Only Mia managed to write a whole two paragraphs on the pie-throwing incident as an 'unethical and unnecessary circus act bringing down the overall quality and class expected of a Flowerbud High festival'.

The class ended before many of them had managed to finish, but Doug made no complaints as he collected each paper from the desks.  
"So... so no revolution...?" Sacchun asked sadly, handing her paper in. Doug, eyebrow raised, opened his mouth to say something, but Sacchun had already skipped out the door.

---

With Dan's return to school came a few interesting changes; were there such thing as a visible popularity ladder, Karen's position would have dropped significantly. The two had broken up, and in no time, everyone knew about it. In addition, Kai and Popuri had detached themselves from Dan's clique. This choice was something Kai had to think through thoroughly, as Dan was his long-time best friend. This transition was harder for him than anyone else, as he had to come to the painful realization that the Dan who returned after his suspension was not the same Dan who had been his best friend for so many years. In the end, he chose his girlfriend and Karen, his second closest friend, over Dan.

Gwen, too, had been oddly absent from the battlefield of popularity as of late. Whether she took pity on Karen, or simply had been too wrapped up in her own affairs to bother with being the local teen queen, was simply unknown to everyone.

Through all the chaos, Dan had, somehow, managed to keep all of his popularity and only gain _more _after word had spread of what he had done the day of the power outage. And though Karen no longer wanted to be associated with him, and Gwen had simply stayed out of the spotlight during the whole ordeal, a new queen seemed to be on the rise during this interim; Katie. Telling herself that Dan was a 'real man' and much more likely to 'take care' of her than Joe had, she had flocked to him not long after she and Joe had their disastrous split-up. Rumours resonated through the walls of Flowerbud High of Dan's dangerous attitude and Katie's promiscuous nature, which only seemed to grant them more fame - after all, it _was _high school.

Lloyd had, though with little effort, managed to avoid Dan ever since his return. Dan didn't seem to show much interest in him anyway, possibly fearing the repercussions that would follow if he attacked him a second time, or possibly seeing the error of his ways (though the chances of that happening were nearly nonexistent).

"It's such a nice daaay, we should go eat outside, instead of in this oversized fish bowl!" Sacchun complained, as they - meaning herself, Lloyd, Joe, Dia, Kurt and Carl - all sat around their usual table in the Lunch Dome.

"We tried that, remember, Sacchun? And do you remember how _windy _it was? I'm sorry, but it's just not possible." Lloyd said without even granting her a glance up from his paper. "Maybe when I'm done my biology homework..."

"Biology now?!" She asked incredulously. "Did you do _any _homework last night?"

"Er..." Lloyd mentally ventured to the night before, but was spared from answering as Joe spoke.

"We were trying out the trial version of that new online videogame..." he said, sipping a juice box lazily as it rested on the table.

"Nerds." Dia said between coughs, without the slightest bit of subtlety.

"And what did _you _do last night, then, Dia?" Lloyd asked pointedly.

"I did all my homework in a timely and orderly fashion." She stated primly, gently folding one hand over the other.

Joe, Lloyd and Sacchun gaped at her. "And this doesn't make you a nerd, _how...?_" Joe asked. A well-aimed kick from Kurt kept him from continuing further.

"You're not a videogame person, are you, Dia?" Sacchun enquired, with an obvious _we'll-just-have-to-change-that _tone.

Dia delicately placed a strand of her ebony hair behind her ear, deep in thought, before answering, "...Nope!"

"I showed you a videogame once." Kurt said, slurping up ramen noodles with an unnecessary amount of noise and excess broth spraying everywhere.

"You know, if there's one thing that proves that you two are related, it's your same, messy eating habits." Sacchun remarked, the corner of her mouth lifted in a smirk as she poked Joe's cheek playfully.

"You _did._" Dia said, as if remembering suddenly. "I did not like it much. There was quite a lot of violence and fighting. _Unnecessary _violence."

"Dia... it was a game about a fat italian plumber saving a princess." Kurt stated with disbelief.

"Well... Yes! But those poor turtles! Why on earth would he jump on them with such ferocity...?" She wrung her hands dramatically.

"Yes... Those poor, _poor _turtles." Sacchun lamented sarcastically across the table from her. "What a cruel fate they must endure."

"I may not be as well-educated as you in the realm of three-dimensional overall-clad plumbers, but I can still tell when someone's mocking me." She replied crossly.

Mentally taking note that Dia wasn't as easy to tease as the others, Sacchun turned to Carl, who's presence wasn't as significant as it usually was. "What's up, Carl?" She asked her boyfriend.

"Nothing." He replied meekly. He had been acting odd lately, and Sacchun couldn't quite read him. For example - at the moment, he was currently staring, misty-eyed, at Dia.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong? You wanna do something after school or...?" She reached her hand over the table and wrapped it around his, expecting Joe to spout some immature nonsense involving a room and them getting one. Surprisingly, he didn't, for once.

"I'm actually a little busy. Mom and dad want me to put in a few more hours at the café, you know things are busy at this time of year... What with the nice weather and the spring breeze and..." He sighed wistfully as he looked past Sacchun and out at the grassy field through the curving glass walls of the Lunch Dome.

'_Was that it?' _She wondered to herself. '_Maybe he _is _just being overworked, but I can't help but feel like it's something else...'_

"Are you going on the field trip, Carl?" Dia asked him kindly.

"Oh, yes, I am." Carl blinked a few times before replying. "I'm looking forward to it."

"It _is _going to be friggin' awesome." Joe grinned. The bandanna-wearing boy tossed an apple in the air and caught it. "Forget-Me-Not Valley, now _there's _a place with plenty of adventures to offer. Flowerbud City is too tame for me..."

"Oh, you ruffian, you." remarked the elder of the two brothers dryly.

"When exactly do we have to give in our payment for that...? I really hope I'll have enough." Dia said, "I mean, I've been working as much as possible at the record store, but the letter they sent home didn't even have the total cost."

Her query was met only by quizical stares from the rest of the table.

"What? What is it? Don't tell me I'm way past the deadline..." She felt her stomach sink.

"Dia..." Lloyd started.

"We don't pay _now. _The trip is mandatory, so the expenses are added to our annual school fees that we pay at the beginning of the ... year..." Kurt finished, frowning.

Dia's emerald eyes grew wide, her carefully applied eyeliner making them appear larger. "I... There was nothing like that mentioned when I transferred here. My old foster family barely paid anything, I was more or less enrolled here as a charity case."

"You can't... _not _go on this trip, though, Di." Kurt stated. "There's no way..."

"Will they let me pay now...? I've - I've acquired quite a sum from my job..."

"I don't know..." Lloyd said uncertainly. "I'm pretty sure they do all the booking for the buses and the hotel rooms in advance, so..."

"They _have _to let you! Come on, we'll talk to Mr. Wallace, and -"

"Not here, remember?" Joe said, the events of the early culinary class still vivid in his memory.

"Well, we'll go to whoever's planning the -"

"Nami." Dia said simultaneously. "Oh Dear Goddess."

"She'll still let you come along, Dia, she... has to." Kurt tugged her arm desperately. The prospect of not being able to share the beauty of Forget-Me-Not with Dia almost made him want to abandon the trip himself. "If there's a _financial _issue, my parents wouldn't mind loaning me some... You just _have _to come, and that's that. There's no way we're leaving you behind."

"Yeah, Dia!" Joe chirped in. "Plus we don't want to have to listen to my brother's emo whining the entire way to the valley!" He grinned widely.

"And we have to be roomies!" Sacchun grabbed Dia's hands and held them up. "Don't make me sleep alooone! We need some girl-bonding time, too. Which will mostly consist of candy and gossip, but hey..."

"Plus, what'll you do back over here all alone? It'll be a drag when we're all going to be in Forget-Me-Not." Lloyd added, sparing a moment of work to look up at Dia.

Dia felt something. It warmed her, and was not unlike what she had felt when she and Kurt had started their relationship. It was a lovely feeling, one that could only have come from being surrounded by people she was proud to call friends. It spurred her on. There was no way she was going to miss out on this fieldtrip now.

"Let's go, Kurt!" She got up suddenly, unlocking her hands from Sacchun's and offering them to Kurt. "We'll brave the den of the lioness ... somehow." She added, with a smile. Kurt took them, lifted himself up, and with a small peck on the lips - which was quite a big deal for these two, as they weren't big on public displays of affection - they exited the dome.

The sudden chatter within the lunch dome suddenly became much more audible as a silence fell over the table.

"Notice how they're always the first to leave the table? I wonder if these are all just elaborate scenarios they come up with beforehand to leave quickly and go make out or something." Joe said, breaking the silence with all the grace of a rhinoceros.

"And here I thought you had matured some, Joe." Sacchun stuck out her tongue.

"Even after the little _roleplaying _you two did in Math class? _Really?_" Lloyd muttered, still working on his biology paper.

Sacchun glanced quickly over to Carl, hoping he wouldn't inquire about what Lloyd had just said. Carl definitely wasn't the jealous type, but as he seemed to have many things on his mind these days, she didn't want to give him another potential-but-not-really worry. With this quick glance, however, she noticed that not a word of Lloyd's muttering had gotten through to Carl at all; he seemed to be staring pensively at the spot where Dia and Kurt had just been embracing. Now somewhat annoyed with him, Sacchun turned to her lunch and decided to finish it in silence.

"Lloyd!" called a voice from the entrance of the dome. It was, in fact, one of the few voices that could break his concentration when working on a biology paper; it belonged to Karen. She walked over to his table, alone, but looking no less energetic or cheerful as she usually did.

"Karen, hey." He greeted, putting his pencil down. "Did I congratulate you for winning the cooking festival yet, or...?"

"Well, you didn't. But you did! Just now! So... Thanks!" The blonde laughed cheerily, hands firmly behind her back.

"Yeah, congrats! It was a real ... Well, it was really _something _that you managed to win this year, huh." Joe commented, trying to choose his words with what little tact he posessed. "Good job."

"You know what they say, practice makes perfect, and I _do _practice _quite _a lot -"

"We know." The two boys said simultaneously, quickly exchanging smirks that went unnoticed by her.

"Anyway, thanks and all, but that's not why I'm here. I, er..." Her sentence was thrown off suddenly by what sounded like a loud and rowdy crowd coming through the Lunch dome. It was none other than Dan and his newly-crowned queen, Katie, with a posse of followers gabbing away. The sight was almost too similar to a King and Queen descending from a carriage to attend a royal ball.

"Is that... _Katie?_" Joe leaned forward, incredulity resonating from his voice. "Are _they..._?"

"Haven't you _heard_?" Carl asked, sounding equally incredulous at Joe's lack of knowledge. "Yes, they _are _going out."

Joe wasn't sure what to feel. He _hated _Dan, and as much as he had once cared for Katie, he could almost feel the hate he felt so strongly for Dan leak into her, like water into the cracks of a rock. There was something about how she presented herself that greatly bothered him; Katie had _gained _something new, something in the way she smiled, something in the way she spoke, something in the way she walked. And it was not, as far as Joe could tell, something good.

"Don't let it bother you." Lloyd said to Joe, but also directed it at Karen, as the two watched their former romantic pursuits, now hand-in-hand with a family of followers and friends.

"I'm not _bothered... _I mean, I'm the one who dumped _her, _after all..." Joe said, sounding oddly empty.

Trying to act as if she hadn't noticed, Karen's head gradually turned back to face Lloyd, and she said, "So, Lloyd... Speaking of the Cooking Festival, there was something I... Well, you remember what the prize was?" She silently cursed the appearance of Dan and Katie. Her heart was beating hard enough without the two of them around, but now it was just going crazy within her ribcage.

Lloyd's attention snapped back to Karen. "Hm, yeah, wasn't it..." He slowed down, hoping the realization now dawning on him was not accurate, "...Two coupons to the Paradise Orchard...?"

"Yes!" She replied. "Well, you may not _know _this, but I, ah, had a little _help... _with my dish... Which really _helped _me win, you know? I - I did most of it myself, of course! I didn't _cheat! _Never! I just got a few _pointers _from a - a friend." Karen stammered.

'_Ah... that, right there, just solved one of Flowerbud High's biggest mysteries; how the _hell _Karen had managed to win a Cooking contest.' _Lloyd thought to himself. His heart, too, was now reaching similar levels.

"So I'd feel really _guilty _using the prize for myself, when I had _help _so... I thought I'd give them away, and hey, you're a pretty cool guy, so maybe you could..." Karen brought her hand around from behind her back and held out the two tickets. '_Smooth, Karen. So very smooth.' _

"Wait, are you _asking _me ...?" Lloyd could feel his heart stuck in his throat, and the eyes of Joe, Carl, and Sacchun on him.

"What? No! No no no!" Karen laughed shrilly. "I was just giving them to you, you can take whoever you want. Joe, maybe..." She glanced at him and he waved goofily. "Yeah, anyone. Anyone at all."

"Oh, wow... Thanks Karen, but, don't you think they should go to one of the other contestants, then? Kai, maybe?"

"Uh, yeah, I offered them to Kai, he ... very honorably... declined, saying they were rightfully mine to use in whatever way I wanted to since I was the technical winner and all that." She told him, editing the story in places that needed editing.

"If you really insist...I guess I can take them. But seriously, thanks, the discounts on these coupons are ridiculous..." He examined the coupons.

"I believe in helping the needy! Oh, uh, not that you're considered 'needy', but well... you know what I mean." She knew he did, from the sheepish grin on his face.

Without anything else to say, she said her goodbyes and departed.

"Who are you taking?" Joe asked instantly, as Lloyd knew he would.

"...I've... got someone in mind." Lloyd mumbled, fanning himself with the coupons.

"Who?!" Sacchun pressed. "Is it a girl?"

Lloyd opened his mouth to answer, before deciding against it. A better idea had entered his mind: He'd let the two of them torture themselves over trying to figure out who it was, as this was the only suitable payback for what he had to sit through in Math this morning. Lloyd silently returned to his biology work, but now with a grin on his face that could only be described as sinister.

---

"I swear, if I here _one _more silly, juvenile joke about my face being covered in white whipped cream, I'm going to rip out my hair." fumed the one and only Nami Linette. She sat in the staffroom, alone except for Alex lazily occupying the chair next to her, while going over lesson plans for her new class. The other teachers had since left, and the sun was almost on its way to setting. "And _now _Theodore has the gall to set me up as a Spanish teacher!"

"Well, you are well-versed in many languages, Nami, you really are the only one who would have been appropriate for the job." Alex said, giving in to his usual habit and ruffling his hair.

"Then they should drop the whole subject! Or, Goddess forbid, they find a _new _Spanish teacher! I'm - I'm being overworked! I'm going to _strike!_" She declared. "And will you _please _stop with the damn ruffling of your damn hair? It just makes it look messier. You're a school doctor, for crying out loud, _look professional!_"

"Yes, one-person strikes were always known for their effectiveness." He grinned, leaning back and tilting the chair on its two back legs. "And I've been told that my messy hair is quite sexy."

Alex's words brought a slight pink to Nami's face. "That was a long time ago. Styles... change. I - er, _whoever _said that... would probably retract that statement if they saw you now."

"Anyway, there are more important things to be fuming over than Spanish lessons and the like. Theodore's been out of touch for a good while now, save for the letter he sent us about your new position - which didn't even have a return address or any sort of hint as to where he is. The other teachers continue to blissfully ignore this, but It seems -"

"Suspicious." Nami breathed, taking a sip from her coffee. "If I was still a news anchor, the stories this school holds would make for an entire documentary series."

"That's _another _thing." Alex leaned forward again, his expression stiffening. His tone changed to one he often used on students who had gotten into a fight or some other kind of trouble. "Maybe that whole FBTV stunt at the Cooking Festival wasn't a great idea, Nami. I don't think the other teachers really appreciated you inviting them of your own accord. Now, I'm trying to _help _you, here, but if you keep pulling stuff like that - "

Nami spit out her coffee and spluttered, "You think _I _brought them here?! I - I thought _you _or _someone else - _Theodore, maybe! I ... but... I didn't invite them here, Alex!"

Alex now looked alarmed.

"I thought they _always _documented this, so I just tried to _go _with it when I saw them."

"In all your years as News Anchor, you didn't notice that there were _no _past filmings of Flowerbud High's Cooking festival?" The doctor asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They recorded that whole Haunted High thing, didn't they? I thought it was like that. And... Theodore didn't mention it in his letter, all he did was inform me about my new position." Nami felt even more stressed out now.

"So... so _you _didn't invite them, and Theodore didn't..." Alex suddenly launched his arm out and grabbed Nami's wallet, lying carelessly on the desk. Ignoring her protests, he began to look through it, until he found the card he was looking for.

"Here. Call them. Now." He thrusted the business card into her hand and it dawned on her. She whipped out her cellphone and dialed, heart beating loud enough that she feared it might even be audible on the other end.

After what seemed like an eternity, someone picked up. The voice sounded oddly familiar to Nami, but couldn't think of a face to match it. She asked the questions needed to be asked, heart still pumping blood at an abnormally fast pace. Alex watched, hands clutched together in apprehension.

"We just want to know _who _from this school called and asked for a TV Crew to come film the Cooking Festival." She said, afraid to hear the answer.

"_Who _sent the TV Crew? Why, I believe that was..." There was a brief flipping of papers on the other end, and then something that, without words, confirmed Nami's fear; an elegant, silvery, girlish laugh. Nami's fingers instinctively snapped the phone down, identifying the laugh at once. She was suddenly aware of how empty the staffroom was, and how late it was getting, causing her head to snap towards the door. For a split second, she almost thought she saw a pair of nearly-closed eyes and a sickeningly fake smile staring at her.

"Well?" Alex asked, eyebrows contorted in a frown as he moved his hand over to Nami's knee. She swung around to him again, and managed to get out in one breath,

"Lyla."


	49. Puppy Lust

**// Author's Note: ****No this story is not dead.** Have a nice day and thanks for all the reviews! **End Author's Note //**

Chapter 48: Puppy Lust

"Why, hello there, Stranger!" the blonde waved cheerily after the door had _finally _opened after a dozen or so rings of the bell. She stood at the top of the stairs leading up to the double-doors and had waited patiently for someone to open them.

"Well, aren't you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning, Miss Karen Lucine. You realize my parents will take you out back and _shoot _you for disturbing them this early in the morning.", a groggy, half-awake Lucy replied. She was wearing casual clothing - a slightly wrinkled tank top and a pair of jeans - suggesting that she had most likely fallen asleep in this attire the night before.

Karen invited herself in, her school bag swinging beside her on her shoulder. "You parents _love _me! And will continue to do so when they find out that the _cause _for this so-called disturbance is to get you to _come to freakin' school for once!" _Her tone smoothly changed to a pointedly accusatory one.

Lucy groaned, as she had heard this lecture from nearly everyone and their dogs. "Well, you've certainly become the little nerd, haven't you. Come downstairs, before the house-maid comes and starts yapping away about the state of my clothes again." She lead the blonde through the larger-than-average first floor of her house, kicking open the basement door and disappearing through it. Karen couldn't help but reminisce - there was once a time where she'd be over at Lucy's everyday. Though odd to imagine, it was only last summer that she, Karen, Popuri, Kai, Dan and others had held a majority of their parties here. The halls of her nearly manor-sized house were full of memories the two girls had created together.

"My parents have been asking about you." Karen told her friend as they descended the stairs together.

Sounding slightly cross, she asked, "And what have you been telling them?"

Hearing the bitterness in her voice only soured Karen's mood, slightly. "I've told them exactly what I know, which is that you've been avoiding school like the plague." she replied.

Lucy only scoffed at this, as they reached the bottom of the staircase. "I was there for the Cooking festival."

"That _hardly _counts." said Karen as she rolled her eyes.

The large basement was lined with old movie posters and couches, with a large TV - still on, but on mute - in the corner. There was a pool table as well, but seemed to be used more as a food table, as there were bags of chips and cans of both soda and beer scattered on it, as well as on the floor. A certain smell hung over the place, one that certainly was not there last time Karen had been down.

"The place is different..." Karen murmured, her eyes travelling from end of the room to the other.

"Probably 'cause the house-maid refuses to step foot down here anymore." Lucy shrugged, bending down to pick up a stray pillow lying on the ground. She tossed it on a pile of blankets on the couch which, for a moment, Karen thought she saw move. Karen couldn't help but take note of how Lucy continuously referred to the house-maid by her job. She knew for a fact that her name was Gloria, and Lucy used to refer to her as such; but unless they had hired a new housemaid, her tone made it simply seem as if Lucy didn't regard her as worthy enough to be addressed by name. Karen wasn't sure, herself, why this seemed to be of such significance, and decided that she must be reading too deeply into the situation.

"So, are you really only here to try and tempt me into coming to school?" Lucy wheeled around, hands on her hips.

"Okay, whatever, _don't _come to school! I just ... miss you." Karen crossed her arms and glared at the girl in front of her. It was a funny relationship they shared, both missing each other to the point where it aches, yet so annoyed with the other that the only way they could convey this was through glares and ----

Sighing, Lucy asked, "Well, anything happen at school recently?"

"Well... Everyone's psyched for the Forget-Me-Not field trip, Nami's slowly getting crazier by the day, our principal's gone missing or something, Sacchun was revealed to be the daughter of Ruby Lee, aaaand I've been usurped. Or at least, that's how Popo likes to put it.", The blonde girl listed.

Lucy swore in disbelief, brushing her hair out of her face. "Well, damn, girl. Sacchun - she's the bouncy one who threw the pie, right? That's crazy. And Theodore took off and left Nami to go insane?" She raked her hair with her fingers, laughing lightly, "Maybe I _should _come back to school, just to help stir up the chaos. Now, what's this about ursu- usap- upursing?"

"Usurping, yeah." Karen's eyebrow was raised, "Maybe you _should _come back to school if you can't pronounce 'usurping'."

In reply, Lucy simply rolled her hands, motioning for Karen to continue with the story.

"Long story short, Dan's a jerk, we broke up, he hooked up with Katie, took half of my so called "friends" with him, and me, Kai, and Popuri have been sticking it out. I was never one to really give in to the whole popularity battle royale at Flowerbud, so it doesn't make much of a difference to _me, _but our school thrives on these politics, so it's apparently a big deal."

"Yeah," Lucy said thoughtfully, "You really weren't one to give in to that whole thing. _You _were smart. You just kinda ended up being forced into the position of Queen bee, I guess."

"Well, I can't say I didn't _enjoy _it while it lasted..." Karen laughed sheepishly, "But yeah, the only thing that pisses me off about this thing is that everyone expects _Katie _to take on Gwen like I did. And I never thought I'd ever hear myself saying this, but Gwen is probably the lesser of the two evils."

"Katie's a bitch." Lucy agreed lightly, being all too familiar with the girl.

"That's _right!" _Karen gasped, sounding more amused than anything, "You two used to be _bestest friends, _back when you were a _cheeeerleader! _How _cute._" She said cheekily.

"Yes, that's right, and now that her bitchiness has become well-known, you can understand why we are _no longer _'bestest friends'." Countered Lucy, arms crossed. "So, what is it? You want me to come back and take her down a notch or two?"

"No," said Karen hurriedly, "She can keep her crown, and _dear goddess, _she can _definitely_ keep Dan. I really wonder what on earth I was _thinking _to continue going out with him for that long."

"He was hot," Lucy reasoned, adding, "I'd hit it."

Deciding that some of Lucy's comments went over best when they were disregarded, Karen continued, "No, I don't really care about Katie. Popuri's taking it worse than I am, to be honest. I honestly did just want to check up on you."

"How sweet," she replied, though sounding bitter. She said nothing else for a few seconds, seconds occupied with a silence weighed down with unsaid words.

"... Is that my cue to go?"

"It doesn't have to be."

Karen looked the girl up and down. Her crossed arms, her tense back, her lips bit back - yet all the while, her eyes contradicted the rest of her body language. Peaceful, shimmering slightly, and making Lucy's true desires as clear as a reflection on an untouched lake.

Shaking her head with a small smile, Karen turned around. "School starts soon."

"I guess it does."

Karen was half-way up the staircase when she heard Lucy speak again. Thinking she was addressing her, she turned around midway.

"You can stop _hiding _now, it was just Karen anyway." came Lucy's voice.

Karen froze, despite Lucy having obviously addressed someone else. She was just high enough up the staircase for the basement's low ceiling to hide her from sight, so she strained her ears and stood as still as she possibly could.

"I wasn't _hiding,_" came a muffled voice, one that Karen could not match with a face at the moment, "I was _sleeping, _as most normal people do at this time of day. Which is why I'm currently wondering what the hell _you're _doing up."

"Like I said - Karen."

"What'd she want?"

Now sounding slightly annoyed, Lucy retorted, "Okay, just admit you overheard the entire thing and we can skip this little charade."

"... Okay, fine. I have to admit, though, you sounded for a moment there like you actually considered going back."

"I - I did consider it," came Lucy's stiff reply, "But please, school is overrated, as I'm sure you've realized by now."

The person Lucy was speaking to laughed. "It really is. Heh," there was a slight pause, during which they seemed to be thinking something over, then, "I never thought I'd find myself agreeing to that so easily. At least, not a few months ago."

"People change, don't they?" laughed Lucy. It wasn't an unfriendly laugh, but it did not sound like there were good intentions behind it.

"Yes, yes they do."

Karen turned back and tried to, as silently and quickly as possible, leave the building - for she had finally recognized who the voice had belonged to.

---

"It's hot." Sacchun declared, lying lazily on the boys' couch one evening. The fans were blaring loudly all around her, but did little to stifle the waves of heat pouring in on her from all directions. Momo, whom she had brought along for a visit, was lying on the floor beside her, panting heavily as dogs tended to do in the heat. "Where are my man-slaves! I ordered palm leaf-fans and grapes!"

Sacchun's 'man-slaves' were, at the moment, ignoring her in favour of the computer in the other room. Sitting up, she adjusted the straps of her spaghetti-strap top and lifted herself off the couch, said top sticking to her back as she did so.

Poking her head into the room, she immediately recoiled. "Ugh! It's like, ten times hotter in here! Turn some fans on, will you?!"

Lloyd and Joe were facing the computer screen, which, itself, was giving off quite a bit of heat. "It's worth it. Anything's worth it. Check this out." Joe said. He rolled away from the computer on his chair, allowing Sacchun to (while enduring the heat of the room) walk over and see just what was so interesting on the computer.

Minutes passed. A trailer played. Mouthes dropped. Eyes widened.

"So let me get this straight," Sacchun said, once she had remembered to breathe, "The _reason _you boys were _not_ fanning me with overgrown foliage was because of some _Online game _that is already eating away at your souls and will no doubt _consume_ them by the time it's released?"

Lloyd smiled sheepishly and Joe gave her a hesitant thumbs-up.

"Where do I sign up?"

"An Open Beta Server is opening up the week after we get back from Forget-Me-Not." Lloyd explained with a wide grin, "It has limited space, but if you sign up now -" He clicked the 'SIGN UP' button that was flashing red once the trailer had ended - "You can get in, no problem."

"That is _awesome _beyond words!"

"Wait..." Lloyd said slowly, eyes flitting over the calendar on his wall. "Week after Forget-Me-Not, huh? Wouldn't _finals_ be coming up, then?"

"That... is _not_ so awesome." Clicking around the site only made Sacchun even more tempted to forget about school all together and become a professional online gamer... if such a profession existed. "But look! Look at all the _races _you can play as and all the _jobs _and _skills _your characters can _master!_ There is _no _way I'm giving all this up to go sit some ridiculous exam! Nuh-uh!"

"I'm with you, Sacchun!" Joe said.

"Whereas I... would much rather not be held back a year." Lloyd interjected, taking up his usual role as the voice of reason, "Besides, the game will still be here _after _finals, and we'll have all summer to sit around and get fat in front of our computer screens! "

"A summer well-spent, a summer well-spent." Joe said lazily, stretching and leaning back in his chair.

"_Right._ Now who wants some chicken wings? I think we have some left over from last night..." Lloyd offerred, vacating his own seat and heading for the kitchen.

"Let's see, username..." Sacchun busied herself with signing up with the game, while Joe got up and left for the kitchen as well.

Lloyd seemed to have halted in his own path to the kitchen, staring at something on the ground. Joe bumped into him, and before asking anything, heard some very odd panting not too far from them.

"Uh, Sacchun? What exactly were you _watching _before? It sounds rather - uh..."

It was then that Joe noticed what Lloyd was looking at. "Oh... That's..."

"What were you asking me, Joe?" Sacchun asked, emerging from her room. She, too, halted in exactly the same spot as Joe and Lloyd, and the three gawked at the sight on the ground.

"That... does not look too good." Joe remarked.

"N-No it doesn't." Lloyd agreed.

Sacchun took a few more moments to stare, tilted her head slightly, then got down to business. "Gah! Useless boys! Lloyd, get the carrier - not Momo's, we'll just use Ringo's! Joe! Call the Vet! Actually no, no time for that! Call Ray! Gah, no, forget that, I'll just run there! Gooo!"

Lloyd did as he was told as quickly as possible, Joe spun around frantically on the spot, and Sacchun went to scoop up Momo in her arms. "I have no idea what's wrong with her!" Yelled Sacchun.

"Why are you _yelling?!_" yelled Joe.

"Why are _either _of you yelling?!" yelled Lloyd, emerging from the closet with Ringo's carrier.

And so it was in a scramble of yelling and panic that the three of them managed to get Momo in the carrier, out the door, down the many flights of stairs - Sacchun's superhuman speed coming in handy once again as the boys struggled to keep up - and down Azure Street to the nearest vet - Yodel Veterinary Clinic.

Luckily, pleasant weather relieved them of the burden of wearing jackets - and to Sacchun apparently, of wearing shoes. She had just run nearly the entire length of Azure Street, barefoot, holding Momo's carrier ahead of her like some kind of ticking bomb.

The street was not heavily populated at this hour, and consequently, neither was the clinic. It was mostly white inside, yet a bit more cheerful than a regular clinic. It was a family-owned business, as most of the establishments on Azure Street were, and thus had that familiar warmth that was not out of place at Azure Street.

The front desk was devoid of any kind of secretary, but a buzzer was in place that Sacchun made no hesitation in using. After rocking back and forth on her bare heels, she finally allowed herself to sit in one of the waiting chairs with the two boys, exhausted from the run.

"Okay," panted Joe, "Getting fat in front of a computer may not be the _best _plan for the summer."

"N-No," Lloyd agreed, also out of breath, "Definitely not..."

Sacchun had nothing to say on the matter, for she was busy blowing her blackened foot as it lay resting on her knee. "I _may _need a shower when we get back."

"Yikes, Sacchun," Lloyd stared, "Shoes _tend _to keep that from happening. Y'know, it's the secret reason behind clean feet..."

"Hey, I was acting on adrenaline!" As if suddenly remembering, she opened the mesh of the carrier and grabbed Momo, who was still limp and letting out stunted pants and whines. "I hope she's okay..."

"Has she been acting funny recently, Sacchun?" asked Lloyd.

"Her eating habits were a bit off, but I didn't figure there was anything actually _wrong_ with her! She wasn't losing any weight, and in fact, it seems more like she's _gained..._"

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. Momo's a little trooper. Remember when we first found them, lying together under that umbrella in the middle of a storm?"

"Of course!" laughed Sacchun. "I'll never forget the look on Lloydie's face when you went out to get some food and came back with two puppies in your arms."

Rolling his eyes, Lloyd remarked, "Only Joe could manage that, only Joe."

"The _point is, _I'm sure she'll survive whatever the heck this is." Joe grabbed a pamphlet on dental health for canines and folded up into a fan, which he then used to fan the poor, panting Momo.

"Oho, so you'll fan _her_, and when _I'm _dying from heat, you can't be bothered to lift a finger, is that it?" Sacchun drawled, sounding somewhere between amusement and actual annoyance.

"Well, one bitch at a time." Joe said, if only for the fact that he was given such a great set-up for the line.

"_Ohhh, damn!_" Sacchun laughed, more impressed with Joe's witty comeback than the insult itself.

"What's a 'bitch'?"

They all turned their heads towards the desk. A girl, barely taller then the top of the desk itself, had just appeared behind it.

"Uh..."

She had long black hair, tied in two equally thick braids that fell over her shoulders. "What's a 'bitch'?" She asked again.

"It's, uhh - " Joe started, but Sacchun cut him off.

"Um, Hello... Are your parents home?"

This, apparently, was the wrong thing to ask, as the young girl's eyes suddenly filled with shimmering tears, threatening to spill out. "G-Grandpa says my Mommy went f-far away and that my D-Daddy didn't want me and ..."

"C-Crap!" mouthed Sacchun to the two boys. "I didn't mean to... I - I'm sorry, Miss..." She feebly attempted to calm the younger girl down. "I meant, ah, where's the _secretary_?"

"I'm the _seckerterry." _ She announced, tears dissolving instantly. Judging from her fickle moods and way of speaking, she couldn't have been much older than eight or nine.

"You're the... Um, well, listen, is your _Grandpa _around? My dog, here, is ..."

"What's a 'bitch'?" persisted the girl. "Ah, I'll just go ask Grandpa..."

"No!" Joe and Sacchun said in unison.

"_Please, _just forget about that." Sacchun said. "Now, my _dog - _"

"Grandpa!"

"_It's a female dog!" _Joe blurted out, to silence the girl.

The girl paused for a moment, looking at Momo. "Oh, I know _that. _But you didn't answer my question."

"A bitch," Joe explained, "_is_ a female dog. That's what it means. And you'd be better off not saying it again. Er... ever."

Taking a moment to look up in thought, the girl accepted the answer. "I see. So yes, you wanted to see the seckerterry?"

"_My dog!_" Sacchun cried. "Please, let me just ..." She trailed off as her eyes glanced down, giving her the opportunity to witness the exact moment Momo decided to urinate on her. Catapulting out of her seat, Sacchun ran past the 'seckerterry' and through the curtained doorway into the clinic.

"H-Hey! You can't -!" the girl tried to stop her, and after a few moments of shock, tore after Sacchun. "That bitch just peed all over the seat!" She called down the hallway.

Lloyd had to try very hard to keep himself from bursting into laughter - for if he did, Momo may not be the only one having an accident in the waiting room that evening.

Joe couldn't help but grin himself, non-chalantly saying, "Ah, _kids..._" As they watched the black-haired girl chase after Sacchun.

"So..." Lloyd said casually, sitting up a bit in his seat. "When are you and Sacchun gonna make it official and just go out?"

Joe was in the middle of a stretch when Lloyd's question hit him with all the grace and tact of a steel anvil to the head. "Buh?!"

"Oh come on, if the flirty banter between you two was water, we'd all be drowning in a watery grave by now."

"Oh yes, I frequently call the girls I'm crushing on 'bitches', it's totally my mating call." Joe rolled his eyes.

Lloyd scoffed, "_Please, _you two are _obviously - "_

"Uh, sorry to interrupt, but are you two with the girl who just ran down the hallway with a urinating dog?" asked a voice. Its owner was a tall young man, looking to be around the same age as Lloyd or Joe. His hair was brown bordering on dirty-blonde, tied into a short ponytail that went a little past his neck.

"Yeah, we are. Er, why?" Joe answered, welcoming a change of subject. His annoyance at Lloyd had not quite subsided.

"I was just wondering if the dog was okay, after all that commotion. That girl was nearly in _tears. _And the _other _girl following her, May, I believe her name was - she has _quite _the pottymouth." The boy explained, slipping his hands in his pockets.

"Is that so...? Ah, Kids these days..." Joe replied with a nervous chuckle.

"Do you work here?" asked Lloyd, refusing to believe that the little girl was the secker.... secretary.

"Oh, no, I don't. I actually just moved here recently - the name's Cliff." He unpocketed his hand and held it out to be shook, which Lloyd did. "I found an injured falcon near-by, to be honest, and have been taking it here to be tended to."

"A _falcon? _No way!" Joe exclaimed.

Cliff nodded. "I was pretty shocked, myself. The vet here, Barley, is great, though! He's helped out a bunch."

"Is he? We should really consider bringing Ringo here to get his shots..." Lloyd said, turning to Joe, who nodded.

"You... You've been living with an animal that hasn't had its shots?" Cliff asked.

Sensing a lecture coming on, Joe quickly asked, "So, Cliff, do you go to Flowerbud High? I haven't seen you around."

"Oh..." Cliff paused momentarily, getting back on track with the new subject at hand, "No, I moved here a bit too late in the year, apparently. I'll be joining next year." He nodded.

"That's pretty cool," Joe said, for lack of anything else to say, "At least you get to take the rest of the year off! I'd _kill _for that." He added, thinking bitterly of the new online game coming out so very soon.

"Not quite, I still _work." _Cliff laughed in response, a kind of incredulous laugh that showed them he was the kind of person who would very rarely slack off.

"Of course." said Joe. "That's, er, natural, of course, for someone our age... To _work, _yes."

"Where do you work?" Cliff asked earnestly. Lloyd crossed his arms and tried very hard not to smirk; one of his favourite pass-times were watching Joe get out of holes he dug himself.

"Callaway Cafe!" he lied automatically.

"_Really? _I've heard good things about that place!" Cliff said brightly. "I'll have to try it out sometime."

Joe chuckled. "Yeah, just swing by, I'll fix you some... coffee.. or whatever."

Lloyd's amusement was cut-short however, by Sacchun's reappearance from the curtained doorway.

"Well?" Joe asked. Cliff turned around as well, waving politely to her.

Sacchun told them in one breath, sounding both exhilirated and tired. "It's puppies."

Lloyd and Joe both exclaimed and jumped out of their seats in surprise, and Cliff grinned broadly, offering his congratulations.

"P-Puppies? So does that mean, she and Ringo...." Lloyd pondered the implications of this sudden birth.

Joe just walked towards Sacchun with the intention of pulling her into a hug. Just as he was about to do so, however, he felt his stomach contort in pain. Sacchun withdrew her fist from its vicinity and smirked.

"Witty though it was, Joey-Joe, _never call me a bitch again." _The bare-footed girl smiled cheerily. "Now who wants to go see those puppies?"


	50. A Season for Confrontations

**/Author's Note: **So... what happened to this story? College happened. College happened _**hard.**_Still, I promised myself I'd continue this story before summer was out, and with... four days to go, this totally counts. Lots of love and appreciation goes out to those who reviewed, and to those who still have faith in this old author's ability to update! **End Author's Note/**

Chapter 49: The Season for Confrontations

The door opened, letting in some of the morning sunlight. As it slowly opened, rays generously poured in, rays belonging to a sun that was still in the process of rising, before suddenly turning to shade once more as the door closed with an abrupt slam. The man who had stepped in - clad in an overly large coat that was quite unnecessary in this weather - let out a small sigh, one that suggested fatigue, or perhaps relief. He was back home, and had returned feeling stronger than he had when he had left. As a principal, Theodore greatly believed in the saying, 'Knowledge is Power'. Yet never before in his career had he felt as if he truly understood the intricacy behind those words, until now. Now, he felt he was the embodiment of that particular saying. He had power.

Of course this acquisition of knowledge was only half of the reason behind his sojourn. There was another, one that involved a fragment of his past; a fragment he had lost so long ago. Loose ends had had to be tied up.

"Welcome back," came a voice, cold as morning frost on gentle grass. The utterance had come from a blue-haired girl who stood in the doorway, draped in a blanket, hair brushed back clumsily seemingly moments before. "I got your message."

"Mia..." Theodore removed his coat and hung it on a coat-rack in their currently dark entrance (the only source of light being the beams of sunlight filtering in through the windows,) and went to approach his daughter. "You didn't have to get up for me. You've still got school - "

"Don't talk to _me _about school," Mia backed up and evaded her father's embrace, making it clear that she wasn't pleased with him, "_I'm _not the one who abandonned it for nearly a month!"

Theodore took off his tiny spectacles and rubbed the creases between his eyes and his nose. "I told you; it was a business trip."

"Then at least have the courtesy to _inform _your staff! They've been - well - _livid! _And I can't say I blame them."

Replacing his glasses in their usual spot, balancing on his slightly rotund nose, Theodore nodded, not looking at Mia. "That was something I was prepared for. I'm sorry it had to be like that, dear, but..."

"Father, you've _always _been an admirable principal. _Eccentric, _maybe, yes - but always admirable. Your staff has never had reason to doubt your choices. Don't throw that away now by keeping secrets from them! Or from me, for that matter." It was clear that Mia had rehearsed these words to herself while she had sat in her living room the night before, until she had eventually fallen asleep on their couch, wrapped in blankets.

"I'm not... It's not _entirely _a secret, I mean, Most of the reason I had left was _because _of one of our staff members!" Theodore's voice was quickly becoming mouse-like. Unlike his daughter, he was not much of a quick thinker, but he wasn't going to cave. He wouldn't lie; he'd simply tell her a portion of the truth.

"Who?", came Mia's inevitable follow-up question.

"Lyla - You know, the one who organizes all the events and competitions and what-not..." He said quickly, "She had me away on some sort of business. Now then, the flight has _really _left me jetlagged, I'd like to - "

"_Lyla?" _Mia sputtered, "What manner of fabrication is _that?" _

"Excuse me?"

"Lyla," she now crossed her arms, the blanket falling to the ground around her, revealing that she had fallen asleep the night before in her school clothing, "The _student-council president?_ The one who's _a grade higher than I am?_ _She _sent you away to Sugar Village?"

Theodore was now thoroughly lost. "Student-council? Mia, dear, she's my personal assistant and advisor, not a ... a student!"

Scoffing, Mia turned away from her father and stalked into the living room. "If you're going to _lie, at the very least, _do so _convincingly!" _

Confused, the portly man rushed after his daughter. "What on _earth, _Mia! I think I'd _know _my own _advisor! _Why would I even think to lie about _that?_"

"Because," Mia whipped around angrily, electricity in her eyes and frost in her words, "You seem to _enjoy _lying to your own daughter as of late!" Her hand dove into her pocket and it pulled out a crumpled up piece of sepia-toned paper, which, when unfurled, revealed a torn excerpt from Theodore's personal agenda.

"Mia - How did you... You shouldn't have gone through my personal planner!"

"_You _shouldn't have left it so recklessly on your desk when you suddenly took off without warning." Mia said, keeping her voice icy. She knew she hadn't the right to look at his agenda, so she hoped she could make her father feel guilty enough to overshadow this. The paper had on it, in Theodore's handwriting, a date in May and the words _'Portia's Wedding'._

"Why didn't you _tell _me Mom was getting remarried?" Mia demanded, now feeling an invisible collar around her neck constrict her throat.

Theodore felt broken; he had not meant for his daughter to find out about it this way. "I was _going _to tell you, you know... But your Mother and I decided it would be _best _if - "

"Oh yes!" Mia flung her arms up, paper still clenched in one hand, "And you two are simply _sagely _when it comes to discerning the _best _choices in life! You were _lying _about the business trip, weren't you? Spouting nonsense about _Lyla _setting you up to it, when you were really going to attend _my _mother's second wedding!" Emotion coursed through her voice, and she felt the inclination to sit down from exhaustion, but persisted.

"It _was _for a business trip, Mia, and believe what you will, It _was _on Lyla's request. But yes..." His voice diminished to the point where the tension between them could easily be more audible - "... Your mother _did _get remarried, and she _did _request that I come down for that. The business trip just seemed to line up conveniently with your Mother's wedding, so I went for both..."

Emotions finally getting the better of her, the cerulean-haired girl gave in and sat down on the couch. "So _what, _the next time I visitted Mom, she'd simply announce that she got married as she drives me back from the airport?"

"We both intended to tell you, Mia! Just not - not so soon..." Theodore sunk into a seat beside her.

She replied, "And telling me _later _rather than _sooner _would have helped _how? _I fail to see _any _logic in this!"

There was a moment of buzzing silence that fell over the room as the father and daughter breathed in and out audibly, without looking at one another. Dust fell slowly and visibly within the rays of light that shone through the windows.

"This is what I mean," Mia decided to reiterate, feeling as if she had perhaps won, "Adults or not, your decision-making abilities are highly questionable. She... She married _that _one, didn't she? The smoker, _what _was his name..."

Theodore simply nodded.

"I hated him."

"She loves him." After a few more moments of stinging silence, Theodore added, "And she loves you. She wanted me to remind you."

Mia said nothing, feeling dazed, all of a sudden.

Her father put an arm around her. "I love you, too."

She buried her face in his arm and cried, her voice cracking just as dawn did.

* * *

Summer was almost in sight. It was that fleeting thing, just on the horizon, yet still unreachable. Hand outstretched, you'd run towards it, face split in half with a hope-filled grin - only to fall, trip on an ill-placed rock, and tumble over to the ground. Bruised and battered, you lift yourself up off the ground, only to find summer still waiting on the horizon, smiling at you gleefully.

This was how most of the students felt, at any rate.

"Please let the rest of May pass with all the speed and grace of a hidden ninja." they heard Sacchun pray to herself as she collected her books for her next class.

"It usually does," remarked Lloyd as he approached with his hands in his pockets, "And it might make you feel better to look at _this._" He pointed to the pocket calendar held up by a magnet in her locker.

"May 29th... that's next Tuesday!" squealed Sacchun. "One week and one day from now, we'll be en route to Forget-Me-Not!"

"Yup," grinned Joe, "And the weather's supposed to be great."

"It's going to be _hot._" Lloyd corrected, "And there'll be _beaches..._"

A dreamy expression simultaneously fell over the three of them. Warm weather, sandy beaches, _no school... _

Bringing them back to reality harshly was the sound of the bell.

"Mrrhg. _Spanish _class." groaned Lloyd.

"Which means I'm off to French. See ya!" Joe took off with a brief wave and left Sacchun and Lloyd to make their way to the Languages department, Sacchun shaking her fist at the inanimate bell as they did so.

For the past two weeks, Spanish classes had more or less been free periods. The few times they had had the class, they had been watched over by randomly selected substitutes, who had no intention to teach and just let the class talk among themselves until the bell rang. Today, however, would be Nami's first attempt at teaching _Spanish._

"_Why?_" snarled Sacchun, "She's already teaching English _and _Gym, now they give her a third class? I mean, _what did we do to deserve this?_"

"Maybe they're trying to overwork her till she decides to leave?" suggested Lloyd, taking larger steps to keep up with Sacchun. She had a habit of walking at a faster rate whenever she was annoyed, he had noticed.

"I thought that at first, but no. Remember that magazine article? They _love _her, and consequently, our school's gettin' a lot more attention. They're probably trying to get her to teach _more _classes to get us even _more _attention, y'know?"

"So you're saying there's some sort of plot to have her replace _every _teacher until Flowerbud becomes _'Celebrity Nami Linette's Academic Institute'_?"

"Well, _yes!_"

It was amazingly not _as_ far-fetched as some of the other things Sacchun tended to come up with.

* * *

The door was locked and the class was huddled around it, books clutched to their chests.

"Is she even in there?" asked one of the students.

"Someone go to the staff room!" suggested another.

"No way! You know the rule, after 15 minutes, if a teacher hasn't arrived, we're free to leave..." came the voice of yet another.

Lloyd, amused, felt like echoing Mia in reminding them that such a rule was a myth, but wasn't going to; there was no way he'd voluntarily stick around for Nami either. Sacchun took a hasty look at her watch, thinking of taking off as well.

"It _would, _in all likeliness, send her over the top to come to her first Spanish class and find that everyone's ran off..." said Lloyd after Sacchun's fifth or sixth glance at her watch.

"Y'know, Lloydie,"

Crushing all hopes and dreams, the doorknob twisted and a red-haired head poked through it.

"What were you all waiting for? The bell rung nearly _five _minutes ago!" The seemingly floating head snapped.

"The door was locked." Sacchun explained with a purposely helpful tone.

'_Oh great,' _thought Nami, _'My favourite student.' _Eyes narrowing, she replied with a curt "Oh, well then.", and proceeded to open the door for them.

The classroom didn't look drastically different since its transition to its new owner. There was less colour, as Mr. Espatula's posters were gone and replaced with rather cold-looking white laminated ones. Many of the books that had belonged to him were gone as well, and the windows had new blinds. Overall, it was just another aspect of school life that had been given that unique touch of dreariness that only Nami Linette could grant.

"Take your seats." she said lazily. She was wearing a new pair of glasses, and somehow managed to look older and more jaded than usual - in short, she looked like she had been teaching for far longer than the mere two months she had been.. "Now, before we begin, I suppose I should introduce myself to those of you not already in my English or Physical Education class," This did not leave very many students, "I'm Ms. Linette, yes, the _same _Ms. Linette you've seen from ... "

Those who had already heard this introduction - meaning well over half the class - tuned her out. It didn't take long for most of the class to be sapped of any and all energy - just being in her presence was a buzzkill.

_' Kill me kthx! ' _read a note sent from Sacchun to Lloyd. It more or less summed up the overall sentiments of the class.

"So," Nami started, once she had finally stopped talking about herself, "Your last teacher took off because he had a family emergency - _I am not answering any questions at the moment, Miss Yachiko._" Nami sternly said once Sacchun's hand had shot upwards.

Proceeding to talk anyway, Sacchun said, "Oh, it's not a question! Just a _correction_; Mr. Espatula took off because he was a slimeball paparazzo who stuck his big fat camera in where it didn't belong."

And just like that, the class was interested again. Not only because the fights between students and Nami Linette were simply becoming the makings of legends, but also because up until now, Sacchun hadn't publicly acknowledged the rumours that she was Ruby Lee's daughter.

"Well that's - that's not what _I _was told, Miss Yachiko, and _I _was given my instructions from the principal - "

"You mean - wait, let me just clear this up - You mean _our _principal? The one who's currently away on a _business trip_?"

"He _has _an _assistant._" said Nami huffily, getting up from her desk and standing in a vain attempt to tower over her students, "And this has little to do with _Spanish, _so if we could please return the course..."

Assuming the remark about the assistant was a lie Nami had come up with on the spot to defend herself, Sacchun cast aside their little discussion. She had said what she wanted to, even if she hadn't come out on top, and was satisfied to leave it at that for now.

"I've hardly been given enough time or instructions to _effectively _teach this class," Nami explained, walking back over to her chair - It was clear to everyone that their teacher would have rather been anyplace else in the world at the moment, and Nami was doing absolutely nothing to guise such feelings; "In a more professional setting, this class would either have been dropped entirely or you all would have been required to come in for summer classes once a suitable replacement was found."

"Thank the _Goddess _this isn't a 'professional' setting then..." Lloyd muttered under his breath; Sacchun smirked.

"But, my own feelings on how this school _should _be run aside, our first assignment is going to be fairly rudimentary: The Forget-Me-Not trip will be taking place next week, and as such, you will be required to get into teams and write up a little pamphlet showcasing the highlights of the town. Today will just be rough drafts, and in later classes we can work on actual design. There now, Isn't that fun?" she asked dryly, sounding as if she had had to look up the word in the dictionary the night before. No one replied, so she continued, "Obviously it will have to be in Spanish. I've brought newspapers and magazines about Forget-Me-Not, they're on my desk, I'll be sitting down if anyone needs me." Without giving any one of the students a chance to ask a question, Nami swiftly sat down and flipped open a book.

The class slowly mobilized into groups. Lloyd turned to Sacchun, naturally, and just as they were pulling their desks together, Nami shot up, almost as if her seat had suddenly sprouted spikes.

"Oh no, Oh no no no. I forgot to mention, _I'll _be making the groups."

_Of course, _Sacchun rolled her eyes, watching Nami head straight for them.

"You," she addressed Sacchun, before her eyes darted over the faces in front of her. Choosing wisely, she put Sacchun with Mary and Eve. Choosing somewhat _un_wisely, she then proceeded to put Lloyd with Ray... and Gwen.

To maintain fairness, the rest of the class was then divided as well. After the clamor of desks being scraped across the floor, the groups had assembled. Lloyd dragged his desk over to Ray and Gwen by the window, secretly hoping to never get there and to continue dragging the desk across the class forever. His journey came to a swift end, however, and he could do nothing but take his seat again, now directly in front of the blonde for the first time in what was easily months.

There had been brief occurrences during which they had met - in the hallway, of course, around town, at the pet shop - living in this town and attending this school made it a veritable challenge to avoid someone, after all. However, those brief crossing of paths could hardly constitute as conversations or confrontations in the slightest. Now, he had no choice, and though it wasn't her fault entirely, Lloyd could not help but feel his loathing for Nami deepen.

"Hey..." Gwen greeted, keeping her tone absurdly casual. Her mind was racing through the past few months - _Have we really not had a proper conversation since - since Valentines' Day? Goddess..._

"How's it going?" Lloyd replied airily. Ray was pulling out a few crumpled pieces of loose leaf and distributing them among the group, oblivious to the heavy air hanging around his two teammates. The fair-haired girl made an odd gesture between a shrug and a nod.

Lloyd opened his mouth to make conversation, which he found akin to trying to carve words into a stone block with but his nails; "You're - uh, the trip - coming on it, right? You're coming?" he managed to get out.

"Oh, oh yeah! For sure, would _not_ miss that in a million years."

Ray grinned, "S'gonna be a _killer _trip. I've already got some _plans _to mix things up."

"Plans?" Gwen enquired, resting her head on the back of her hand, "Do these plans involve certain _alcoholic concoctions _and them being smuggled along for the trip?"

Ray let out a '_Gah!'_ of surprise - it sounded more like a bark, than anything - and asked, "How do - "

" - I know? Bob's one of your best friends, and also _my ex, _and we happen to talk quite often, in case you forgot."

Lloyd flinched involuntarily. "Your _ex? _When did you guys break up?"

"Uh - January? We dated for like, all of two weeks? Don't you remember, I was single when you asked me to..."

And it finally happened; the unpleasantness of Valentines' Day came rushing back...

_ "I didn't think you were this kind of guy." _

_ "Now go on, get out of here. Me and my date have a movie to enjoy." _

_ ..._

_ "Happy Valentines Day." _

Gwen was mentally punching herself in the face, resisting the urge to swing around and jump out the open window behind them. Oblivious though the soccer player was, Ray knew to keep his mouth shut at the moment (Metaphorically speaking, of course, as the slightly dim boy was, in actuality, sitting there with his mouth hanging open, not unlike a goldfish).

As for Lloyd, he sat there, his insides going cold. This was his chance to explain himself, to clarify things, to possibly _erase _his status as douchiest guy in existence, and he had to take it.

... Well, maybe he didn't _have _to.

"Oh - that's, um - bathroom. Nature calls." He said blankly, lifting himself up from his seat.

"Heh, uh, yeah, y'gotta do what y'gotta do..." Gwen mumbled, not entirely meeting his eyes.

Lloyd turned around and headed straight for the door, the back of his neck feeling hot as he felt Gwen's, and probably Ray's, gazes on it. Sacchun's group was working on the other side of the class, right by the door. She gave him an inquisitive glance as he walked towards the door, wanting nothing more than to escape. How much time of class was left? Or, more importantly, how much time could he spend in the bathroom avoiding Gwen without it seeming suspicious? Hmm...

Twisting the doorknob, Lloyd stepped out, unnoticed by Nami Linette. Head still reeling after the close call with Gwen, he suddenly felt dizzy. Dizzy and lightheaded. Coughing, Lloyd realized that it wasn't _quite _the encounter that was leaving him gasping for breath - the corridor, while devoid of students, had been permeated with thick smoke.

Wheeling around, Lloyd found his voice; "Ms. Li-Linette? I think there's a ..."

But the smoke beat him to it, trailing in through the open door, and no one besides Sacchun had the ninja reflexes to be the first to yell:

"FIRE!"


	51. Flowerbud Oven

**/Author's Note: **Yessir, a new chapter, not only in the same _year _as the last one, but the same _month! _Truly a victory dance or jig of some sort is in order. School _has _started though, and I've been informed that this semester is the 'semester of death', 'the semester that'll make you want to quit school', 'the best semester to come to class drunk to', among other things. Hence why I'm trying to get out as many chapters as I can now, while the workload is still light!

So here we are - Chapter 50. Yes, 50 chapters, over almost 4 years... _Wow. _This story has indeed come along away. Sadly, this chapter isn't super long or even hugely significant - it was actually supposed to go in an _entirely _different direction, but the two 'main' characters of this chapter ended up taking _way _too long to write, and thus two small 200-word parts blew up to be about 1500 words each, so I decided to slap them together and make it a chapter. But hey, it meant a quicker update for you guys! And, I've, uh... officially topped 2009 in that I've released _two _chapters this year as opposed to 2009's... one, sole chapter... Haha... ha...

And on that note, I just wanted to thank everyone for having faith in my updating (in)abilties, and for everyone who keeps coming back, and especially to everyone who keeps leaving reviews :) Encouraging words as well as constructive criticism really help me to keep at it, so it's always in your best interest to drop me a few words on the latest chapter :) I really, really appreciate it!

Anyway, enjoy the 50th Chapter, and thank you all for coming this far with me into my crazy little highschool world! There's still so much more to come, so I hope to be able to see you all once we get to the eventual end. Enjoy! **End Author's Note/**

Chapter 50: Flowerbud Oven

Doors.

It was such an insipid, such an asinine reason for a business trip. Yes, the state of _doors _in a school. As if there would be any principal who would get on a plane and fly out several dozen miles for a business conference on classroom doors! Any normal principal would scoff at the very idea - which was what made it _so perfect:_ Principal Theodore Wallace was _no _normal principal.

_He was so simple._

Lyla sat comfortably in the chair that usually belonged to Theodore, behind his desk. It was usually in disarray, but the pink-haired girl's compulsive need for cleanliness had rendered it prim and proper. She was in the middle of her lunch, though her eyes were momentarily fixed on the poster of waffles across from her, pinned sloppily to Theodore's door. '_Waffles...' _she scoffed to herself, '_Really...'_

It was just too easy - Lyla had all the cards she needed, right there in her hands. Theodore was gone for an undetermined amount of time,she had easily gained access to his personal office, and with it, all the documents and data on the school she would need, _and, _her brilliant plan involving that red-haired pawn of a news anchor was blossoming into a stupendous success.

Still, as with all plans, when they were coming together a bit _too _seamlessly, one had the tendency to worry. _Was _Theodore as simple as she believed?

_'Of course he is,' _she shook her head in spite of herself, her silky pink hair swaying at her sides, _'Unless he has ulterior motives...' _

Almost robotically, Lyla pushed her lunch out of the way - three remaining quarters of a cucumber sandwich with its edges impeccably cut off, lying on a pink plaid hankerchief - and turned on the monitor in front of her. A login screen flashed in front of her, and she bit her lip. Still, simplicity was on her side so far, so she made her first attempt:

_' Waffles '_

No cigar. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth curled into the tiniest of smiles, and she continued to smile as she made further attempts, altering the spelling, the capitalization, adding in words of adoration - and she smiled still, when after five minutes, she was still met with a Login screen flashing up at her. The buffoon _had _to have written it down somewhere - there was simply no way he remembered a _password_ on a daily basis.

Lyla pressed a soft hand on her good luck charm, also present on the desk next to her lunch - a petite velvet box, which looked big enough to contain a deck of playing cards. As if some sort of sixth sense had kicked in, Lyla's smile grew and she could hardly suppress a sugary laugh. Getting up, feeling as if her body would show her the way, she walked slowly around the desk, and towards the door, already feeling the beginnings of triumph. Knocking off one of the thumbtacks lodged in the door, she curled the corner of Theodore's poster, and saw, in that maddeningly familiar handwriting, a phrase:

' _MiaForeverAndAlways '._

Eyes going slightly wide in surprise - a rare occasion for the girl - Lyla was, if anything, impressed, that the Principal's stubby fingers could possibly type in something that lengthy each and everyday. Still, if she was right in thinking that this was the password, it simply proved that luck was on her side. Feeling like a spoiled little girl whose daddy had just promised her a pony, Lyla skipped back to the desktop and typed in the words, same capitalization and all. She stood at the desk, bent over the screen, and only took a seat once she realized she had succeeded in infiltrating Theodore's computer.

Any possible substance Lyla thought Theodore to have vanished the second she saw his desktop - a wallpaper of a stack of waffles, thick syrup cascading down the toasted delights. She quickly opened his personal planner and began clicking through the months, landing on April. Empty, empty, empty. Not a single day had an event planned. She checked various dates she _knew _were important - festivals, holidays - just to see if Theodore had actually taken the time to put his planner to use. Nothing!

'_Maybe it's to be expected,' _she thought to herself, a slender finger to her chin, _'He seems like the doddery old fool who'd be the type to use an old-fashioned agenda to plan his weeks.' _

Still... Theodore had been gone for far longer than she thought he would be. This worried her; she still needed the _facade _of a principal being in control of the school if she wanted to accomplish anything. He had left in April, and it was now late May; she had had no reason to contact him in a while, and aside from a letter penned by the portly old man to Nami Linette, informing her of her new position as Spanish teacher, he had not bothered to contact them either.

'_It's really no bother,' _Lyla concluded, reminding herself that the man she was dealing with had the IQ of a turnip. All was going smoothly for now, and she decided to revel in her plan's success rather than dwell on unsubstantial doubts.

With nothing much left to do, the young woman pulled her sandwich back towards her and began browsing Theodore's computer aimlessly. With the luck that she was currently enjoying, she might just stumble upon something worthwhile. Though not entirely expecting to, Lyla perused all his folders leisurely for good measure.

With a quarter of her sandwich to go, Lyla found herself coughing slightly. A bit of bread flew from her mouth on to the monitor screen, and she glared at it as if it was its fault for making her cough. Wiping it off with her hankerchief, she found herself coughing violently again. She got to her feet, and nearly had to sit down again in an instant - just the motion her body had made by standing up had made the dainty girl dizzy, and her eyes were suddenly swimming with tears. Vision distorted, she got to her feet and held the piece of plaid cloth over her mouth when she saw it - smoke was entering from under the door.

Now alarmed, the rose-haired girl swiftly switched off the monitor and disposed of her mess, making sure to pocket the tiny velvet box. She lunged for the door, fingers entwining themselves around the door knob and pulling. Her heart beat began to quicken, as the door refused to budge, yet the room continued to fill with thick smoke. It seemed her luck had finally run out - she had had to fiddle with the lock to get in, and it seemed to have backfired on her, for the door now seemed to be jammed. Biting her lips, she took a few steps backward, a part of her mind thinking of Theodore, at his conference, where the rotund old man would no doubt be haggling for _new_ _doors, _and paused to enjoy the immense irony of the situation.

The moment passing, she focused all of her mind on what to do next. She could bang on the door and there'd likely be someone passing by at this time of day who could be alerted of her presence - or she could wait for the firemen to inevitably come and check every room for possible students. But then... there would be questions, there would be interrogations, there would be suspicions - being found in the Principal's office, which was _meant _to be locked, while said principal was away, after all, would inevitably lead to that.

Lowering her hand to her side, she felt the small rectangular lump in her pocket, and she pressed her hand against it again.

_'I hate to waste one... but being found here - or worse, _dying _in some fire - would be highly... detrimental. Yes, detrimental.' _she decided. Her hand dove into her pocket, and she pulled out the box. Her hands were sweating now, as the room rose in temperature, though she took no notice.

Removing the lid, Lyla revealed a small deck of cards - not a full deck, for it was missing a majority of the cards, but Lyla had no intention to play Solitaire or any sort of game with this particular deck. No...

Pulling out an ornate Six of Hearts, the girl closed her eyes and muttered something, her voice inaudible to even her own ears. In an instant, the smoke dissolved, the door dissolved, the office dissolved from her vision, and in a flash of light, Lyla felt her own body dissolve, the last image fresh in her mind being a poster of childishly drawn waffles.

* * *

In one hand, Nami Linette held a binder strategically to her mouth, in an attempt to obstruct the smoke from entering her precious lungs. The other hand, meanwhile, frantically waving in an attempt to corral students towards the nearest emergency exit. Any chance she had of keeping her class together had been shot out the window the minute that damned girl had yelled out '_FIRE!', _needlessly pointing out the obvious and sending the class into a bedlam to boot. Having since lost track of more than half her students, Nami decided to stay her ground and help as many students as possible to the exit, if for nothing more than to save her own hide when it was found out that nearly all her students had run amuck.

"Is it hot in here, or is it just you and those fiery locks of yours?" she heard a familiar voice say from behind her. Wheeling around, she saw Alex approaching her, and she replied to his question in the swiftest way possible - by whacking him on the head with her binder.

"Yikes, don't be such a _hot-head._" the doctor joked, adjusting his hair.

"What's the situation?" Nami coughed, her head pounding from all the smoke - she had no intention to even _humor _Alex, not at a moment like this.

Alex stood there, maddeningly unaffected by the smoke, and replied, "We're all to evacuate. The source of the fire can't exactly be found - hell, neither can the _fire itself - _which has lead us to believe it might be in the walls, or in the vents," His thick eyebrows furrowed and he continued, sounding slightly more worried, "The upside is that most students and actual belongings should be safe - the downside is the time it might take to find and extinguish it. The firemen are on their way, but it's definitely going to take a while."

Alex shifted his gaze directly to Nami now, "All teachers are to evacuate to the soccer field with their classes to take attendance."

Students continued to run by them, some - especially the younger ones - were positively _gleeful _at all the chaos.

"Uh..." said Nami, still directing the students absently. She turned around slowly, already fully aware of the fact that she'd not see a single face - only to see that she was, actually, quite wrong - for one student remained.

The bespectacled Mary shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Er, I didn't... think I should really... I mean, the rules do state..."

Resisting the urge to slap her palm to her forehead, Nami said sweetly, "Mary, it's fine! You've done well. So, uh... where have all your... friends gone?"

Alex, on the other hand, could not quite resist his own urges, and after a swift slap to the head, he let out a sigh and answered in Mary's stead, "They ran off, didn't they?"

Eyebrow twitching ever-so-slightly, Nami turned back to Alex, "I couldn't _do_ anything about it!"

"Mary," the ebony-haired doctor crossed his arms as he addressed her, "Did you see where they ran off?"

"Ah..." the young girl peered from side to side meekly, "They scattered off in different directions...I couldn't stop a-anyone..."

"Alex - " Nami started, only to see that he had flipped out his cellphone and had someone on the line already - most likely on speed dial.

"Gina? Hi," Alex greeted.

Forgetting, somewhat, about the students, Nami blurted out, "Gina? Alex, now isn't the time to be - "

"Have you already evacuated? Alright, then - are you near the intercom room at all? Perfect - I'm really sorry, this'll only take a second, I promise - some students may have run off during the pandemonium. I think the best way to round them up would be to issue a message over the intercom, just let them know that Nami Linette's class is to head straight for the soccer field as soon as possible, and that it's _crucial _that they are there for attendance. Can you do that? ... Alright, thank you so much, Gina. Get out of there as soon as possible afterwards!" Concluding the conversation, Alex flipped his phone down and pocketed it, glancing at Nami. "Trying to catch flies, Nami?"

Realizing how long she had been staring with her mouth open, Nami forced her jaw upwards and coughed at the smoke she had inhaled wihout noticing. "Y-you're asking her to do something like that? That frail little secretary girl? She's going to _risk _her life for -?"

"For the students? Yup, and I think I speak for _all -" _he paused, giving Nami a scrutinizing look, " - of my colleagues when I say that any of us would do the same. Besides, this is hardly life-threatening, she'll be in and out of there in a few moments, and the fire isn't spreading anywhere anytime soon. Good to see you ... care, though." The doctor cocked an eyebrow before turning on his feet, "We should start heading for the field."

Nami followed along idly, with Mary behind her, keeping an obvious distance from the hot-headed teacher. His plan made sense, that went without saying, despite the feeble pale blue-haired secretary being a gawkish mess half the time - but if Nami was going to be honest with herself, it was not Gina's ability (or inability) to complete the task that bothered her. It was how Alex... _was _with her. He was more amiable, more gentle. There were no stupid jokes. His general disposition was more genial.

She felt like she hadn't seen _that _Alex in a great deal of time...

Preoccupied with her thoughts, Nami started when she heard the scratchy feedback of the intercom system as a voice - usually soft, feeble, and mild - boomed throughout the school.

" _All Students who were just in - in Ms. Lin- Linette's..." _the voice suddenly let out a violent cough that resonated around them, "_ Ms Linette's Spanish Class, p-please report to the Soccer..." _her coughing got worse, and Nami sent a sharp look in Alex's direction. He didn't meet her eyes, but stared intently at the nearest speaker, eyebrows contorted in worry. "_...to the Soccer Field, where you will then wait for - for attendance to be ta- taken. This ... this is cru... crucial... " _

Another of Gina's coughs played back fiercely before the intercom cut off. Nami and Alex exchanged looks of distress before darting down the stairs. A flustered Mary remained at the top of them, knees buckled, when Alex yelled back, "Don't worry, Mary! Just get to the field!"

The two staff members raced down the stairs and down the hall, black and red hair respectively whipped back as they did so. Nami ran with her mouth buried in her elbow, for as far as they could see, the smoke was even thicker on the lower floors. Luckily, there were no students in sight - they had all managed to evacuate safely. A pang of guilt - _actual guilt _- resonated in Nami's stomach. As sure as she was of the fact that this was not her fault _at all, _there was a tiny part of her that did not want to see any of the kids hurt, and a _large _part of her that did _not _want to deal with the ensuing consequences if there were any injuries, or, Goddess forbid...

Alex skidded to a halt in front of the intercom room and Nami followed his lead, her heart beating significantly faster and her vision blurred with smoke-induced tears. The back of her throat felt scratchy, and her skin was getting clammy. Flowerbud High had become, more or less, a human oven, and as Alex fiddled with the door, Nami couldn't help but think of Gina as its first well-baked dish...

Before the doctor in front of her could twist the doorknob to open the door, it opened on its own, revealing to them a gasping secretary with brilliant azure hair tied in two horribly old-fashioned braids.

"A - Alex!" she wheezed, she stepped out and with her came more thick smoke, "I - I have _no clue _why I thought it would be a good idea to close the door behind me... Out of habit, I suppose..." she mumbled, and Alex swiftly put an arm around a shoulder and steered her out of the room.

"Well, I guess we'll... have a starting point we can direct the firemen to," Nami remarked, finding it hard not to notice how thick the smoke had become. Feeling light-headed, she stumbled over to Alex and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, using him for nothing more than support. She opened her mouth to state this, expecting Alex to _completely _misconstrue her intentions, as he often would, but found that she had no need, as the dark haired doctor was paying no attention to her. At all.

"And to think," the demure Gina mumbled, "I wanted to be a _nurse _at some point... Look at me, I'm as dainty as a mouse," she managed a tiny smile, which Alex returned.

"You'd have made a fine nurse, Gina. Take it from me, I've been told on occasion that I make a pretty okay doctor!" he laughed lightly.

Nami's expression soured and she let go of Alex, letting him go ahead with his pretty little secretary. He took no notice until he was a good few feet ahead, when he called, without turning around, "C'mon, Firehead, pick up the pace! We don't need the rest of you catching on fire back there!"

Taking herself by surprise, Nami found herself grimly smiling to herself, Suddenly unaffected by the smoke, the crimson-haired teacher quickened her pace, but kept a considerable distance from Alex and Gina. keeping her narrowed eyes intently on their heads.

"Oh Alex, you wouldn't know fire if it sprang up and scorched the hairs on your pretty little head..."


	52. Out of the Frying Pan

**/Author's Note: **Hi again! This chapter's a bit on the short side because it was originally part of a much longer one – however, the second half needed to be worked on, so I decided to split it and give you guys a much-needed update. The next chapter, which is technically already written, just needs to be reworked, and will therefore be out in probably a few short days. Hooray, this story lives! Enjoy, and drop me a review to let me know you're still around :) **End Author's Note/ **

Chapter 51: Out of the Frying Pan

Despite the humidity and the glare of the sun overhead, there was undoubtedly an air of excitement pervading through the grounds as the students gathered by the soccer field, waiting to hear just what had happened. No flames were visible, and, in fact, their precious school looked the same as it always did: pristine, if not for the thickening haze of smoke slowly surrounding it. The glare of the sun hit the Lunch Dome brilliantly, making it resemble a newly-changed lightbulb, light bursting through its glass confines. The atmosphere had everyone buzzing around excitedly, injected with adrenaline by this momentary instance of danger.

"S'probably a drill, let's not get our hopes up." Ray claimed, putting his hands on the small of his back and stretching lazily. Lloyd, Eve, Gwen, and Sacchun stood with him; Sacchun was on the balls of her feet, eagerly scoping out the grounds for any signs of chaos, and Eve was lazily fanning herself with the girly pocket folder she had had with her in class.

"A drill," Eve repeated dryly, "With smoke. And heat. _Right._"

"Hey, y'never know..." Ray trailed off, and Eve muttered something that sounded vaguely like Ray being 'lucky he was so good looking'.

Lloyd found himself staring at the pocket folder in her hands, which sported the face of a very pretty blonde pop star of some sort, whose sienna eyes had a most distracting quality…

"You'd think the firemen would be here already!" Sacchun swung around wildly to look in the direction of the street parallel to the school, "How long's it gotta take anyway?"

"Heh, it'd suck for Mr. Wallace to come back to a pile of ashes in place of a school," remarked the brown-haired soccer player.

"Maybe he knew it was gonna blow and high-tailed it out of here with a briefcase full of insurance money!" Joe proposed enthusiastically.

"Yeah, and I'm sure he sprouted a diabolical curly moustache to twirl as he made his getaway," countered Eve.

Clearly having thought about this already, Sacchun replied, "If only we could find some way to blame it on Nami, and get her kicked out," Proceeding to imitate the teacher's dry, unamused voice, Sacchun said, "_Oh, I'm so very sorry, Theodore! My big, stupid, flaming head was too big for the doorway, you see, and while trying to squeeze it through, the school caught fire. Oops! Please don't fire me, pleeeease!" _

Instinctively, she wheeled around just to make sure that Nami wasn't behind her.

"Darn, I kind of wanted her to hear me."

"Strange, isn't there some kind of cosmic law of comedy that dictates that she should've?" asked an amused Eve.

The raillery continued, though two members of the party showed no inclination to join at all; Lloyd and Gwen were both looking off in seperate directions, each unwilling to meet the other's eyes. The fire, though sudden, had been to the both of them a blessing in disguise - a welcome distraction. Now, however, they were out in the airy fields of the school, under the searing heat of the sun, free to talk as much as they wanted, free to touch upon _any _topic...

_'Maybe It's not too late to run back into the school. Right. I'll trap myself in the bathroom, inhale as much smoke as I can, pass out, spend a few blissful weeks in the hospital, alone...'_

Had the teen been blessed with the self-awareness one only seems to acquire in the later years of life, he might have realized how pathetic the entire thing was. Gwen, however, felt equally eager to do anything _but _talk to him. Entirely too fascinated with the grass around her feet, Gwen shuffled from side to side, pretending to be looking for someone off in the distance.

_'Maybe another day... or another lifetime; both work, really...'_

Each other's presence weighed on the other like a sack of rocks, and both wanted nothing more than for the group to disperse and head their separate ways – but this didn't seem likely to happena nytime soon. In fact, as students continued to fill the field, the group ended up swelling as Sacchun managed to wave down a few familiar faces belonging to Ann, Joe and Carl.

"Sacchun! High-five!" Joe cried loudly as he bounded over in their direction, hand outstretched. Slapping it without hesitation, and as hard as she possibly could - as was tradition between them - Sacchun asked, "What's up?"

"I've always said that I wanted to witness a _real _school fire before I graduated."

"Now who's been filling your cute little head with delusions of graduation?" sniped Eve, earning her a scoff from her victim. Carl treaded over to Sacchun and greeted her with a light peck on the cheek.

Ray remarked, "There isn't much to see, though. I dunno, it's kind of dull. Are we allowed to go home?"

"Yeah! Half-day!" exclaimed Joe, thrusting his hand out for another high-five (Sacchun was quick to respond, as always).

"I don't think so," Ann started, "_Pretty _sure we have to wait for further instructions. Goddess knows I wouldn't complain, though, Mr. Barette was about to grill my ass about Napoleon's Battle of Whatever."

"Way to sound like Mia," grumbled Ray, "Well, minus that last part. Man, what _does _it take to get a day off around here? Do I have to shoot myself in the foot or something?"

Ann, for some reason or another, looked deeply disturbed by this remark.

"Or just piss Mr. Barette off enough and he'll do it for you," suggested Joe.

"They definitely won't let us back in after this fiasco. They'll have to _at least _give us the rest of the day off." Carl said, attempting to mask his hopeful tone in what sounded like facts.

"That's the spirit, kids!" laughed Parsley as he walked by with –

"_Louis!_" called Ann gleefully, subconsciously flattening her already straight hair.

"Ah, er, that'd be _Mr. Bennett_, Ann…" Louis corrected her, perhaps only because they were in the presence of one of his colleagues. Ann was noticeably put out by this.

"Mr. Frampton, what's… going on?" Carl enquired.

Tipping his feathered expedition hat – an accessory he donned as consistently as Mr. Barette and his rifle – Parsley took a sip from his mug of coffee before answering, "Looks like a fire in the vents, or in the walls – it's not terribly uncommon, especially in a building as old as our school's. It might be a while before they locate it and put it out, though… But hey, as you said, all that means for us is a day off!" He laughed again.

The students gawked at him collectively.

"C'mon kids, you look like you've just seen a Kappa! Everyone's been evacuated and no lasting damage should be done to the school," – there was an audible groan that seemed to come from Joe's direction – "So there's really no need to worry."

"Let's just hope the, uh, the firemen get here soon…" Louis adjusted the glasses that were sliding off his nose in the mid-day heat and peered over to the street.

"I think that's them now, Louis!" Parsley announced, and the gaggle of students wheeled around. The blaring of sirens was confirmation enough.

Sure enough, brick-red fire engines were speeding around the corner, lead by an old, rusty brown car, which managed to keep up the pace in spite of its aged appearance. Coming to a stop at the street right outside the school, the door swung open (a little _too _hard – it was a surprise it didn't swing right off its hinges) and ejected a girl whose deep blue hair struck a sharp contrast against the backdrop of two fire trucks.

"M… Mia!" Carl uttered. The entire grounds – and the civilians in the surrounding areas - seemed to have turned its attention to the vehicles now spewing firemen. It was the next figure to exit from the old brown car that rightfully earned the most attention.

"…And Mr. Wallace!"

It was oddly triumphant seeing Theodore exit the car, running as fast as his portly body could carry him, passed the chalk-white walls surrounding the grounds and over to his beloved school, the school he had been away from for far too long. Mia followed at a brisk run, the two of them yelling orders at the firemen and directing them into the school's many entrances. Though neither were well-rested, both worked and yelled with the passion only a Wallace could muster.

"Aw yeah! And Theo's back just in time!" Sacchun gave the air a well-deserved fist pump, "Look at him go!"

"And…" Ann mumbled, "And Mia…"

A strange sense of pride fell over the students of Flowerbud High for the moment, as their principal – known to the point of infamy for his fixation on _waffles, _among other things – stood before his school and ordered firemen and staff members alike in an attempt to contain the chaos that had unfurled. Parsley and Louis had scurried off to join the teachers, and the students – more captivated by the scene before them than anything – remained surprisingly still, for the most part.

Shortly after the firemen had entered had the front doors swung open again, releasing a scurrying Mary who, after a momentary daze following her emergence, scuttled towards the crowded field. They saw Mr. Frampton hurry forward to ensure she was okay. It wasn't much longer when the doors opened again, this time ousting a small group of people: Gina, the secretary, walked forward supported on one side by Alex and aided on the other by a fireman. To the students' further interest, however, was the scarlet-haired Nami behind them, looking none too pleased – not that she ever _was. _

"I almost thought her head was on fire," mused Joe.

"She really needs to dye her hair," thought Sacchun aloud, "It just gets peoples' hopes up."

The less vindictive Carl remarked, "Ooh, I hope Gina's okay, she really didn't look good."

Rather than joining the ranks of the staff, Alex had steered Gina away from the fireman and towards the parking lot, clearly intent on taking her somewhere she could rest. The blue-haired secretary held on to Alex as they sluggishly made their way to his car, leaving Nami standing in the middle of the school's courtyard looking very much so like a fish out of water. Not a single staff member beckoned her over or hurried over to make sure she was okay, leaving the disgruntled teacher to stalk off herself.

Everyone outside was now fixated on the events taking place before them. Granted, there wasn't much more to the rescue mission; only old Mr. Barette had to be ushered outside, for he had apparently dozed off in his classroom at the most inopportune of times, and was now yelling at the fireman aiding him for 'wakin' me from the best darned nap I've had in _years, _dernit!'. The fireman looked very much like he was having second thoughts about rescuing the old geezer. Out of the corner of his eye, Lloyd spotted Dan across the field, gesturing to a few of his friends and cocking his head to the entrance. The small group – Katie among them – exchanged smirks as they detached themselves from the throng of students and slowly made their getaway. As it turned out, Lloyd hadn't been the only one who noticed, as both Joe and Ann's eyes were following the rogue students dart out of the school grounds.

"Uh, guys, I just gotta… uh…" leaving her sentence hanging (and without any real intention of finishing it), Ann tossed her red hair over her shoulder and set off at a sprint in their direction.

"Ann? _Ann!_" Lloyd called.

"Hey! Who does she think she is, speeding off like that after lecturing _us_?" Sacchun exclaimed indignantly with arms akimbo. "Bye Pot, thanks for calling us black and all, see you around; sincerely, Kettle!" she yelled after her. Ann either did not hear or did not care enough to turn around, as she turned the corner and disappeared behind the white walls.

Joe inched over to Lloyd and Sacchun before asking, "Think we should make a break for it too?"

"Naw, I wanna see the rest of Super Theodore's moment of awesome," Sacchun said, all too impressed with Theodore's grand entrance.

Eve, having overheard them, said, "I could go for some lunch. Anyone down for lunch?"

"Is it on you?" asked Joe hopefully.

"Keep dreaming, babe."

An uneasy Lloyd asked, "Are you sure we won't get in trouble?"

"Well, Dan went and skedaddled." Joe pointed out.

"Right, and that's _just _the person we want to be emulating…"

"Mr. Frampton seemed all too keen on the idea of a half-day, we'd be _terrible _students to disappoint him like that!" Eve reasoned, "Do you really want to disappoint him, Lloyd? Do you?"

"…Crafty."

"We could always head down Azure Street to my folks' café, I'm willing to bet I can round us up some free food. Just – just nothing _too _extravagant, guys." Carl added, spotting the glint in Joe's eyes after the mentioning of 'free food'.

"Oh Carl, I could fall in love with you all over again!" Sacchun spun around, clapping her hands together with a grin of massive proportions.

With a tone as sarcastic as they come, Joe deadpanned, "Carl, do you take Sacchun's Stomach to be your lawfully wedded wife…", earning _his _stomach a jab from Sacchun's elbow.

With the group still rooted to the spot in uncertainty, Ray made the first move towards the entrance, saying, "Yo, if there's ever a reason to skip out on school, it's free food."

"I'll drink to that. And eat. Let's go." Eve followed suit, linking arms with her boyfriend.

Shrugging, Lloyd followed suite, "The man makes a good point."

"I hope they have fish…"

As the rest of the group walked as inconspicuously as possible, Eve looked over her shoulder, only to see Gwen rooted at the ground, sheepishly playing with a bracelet around her wrist.

"Oh no, sugar, you're coming too," Eve stalked back over to Gwen, dragging Ray with her, and decisively linked her other arm with hers. She shushed her captive as she attempted to say something about not being hungry, ensuring her with the advice, "Trust me, you're a teenage girl – you're always hungry. Food is like porn for the stomach."

"Especially the café's!" Carl said a little _too _enthusiastically, not quite registering that last part, "I… I think."


	53. Come on Barbie, Let's go Party

**/Author's Note: **Gonna keep this brief, since there's a longer author's note at the bottom discussing some of this chapter's details, _but _I really have to thank you guys for the awesome reviews. They really make writing this story worth it, and I love hearing back from readers! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as the last! **End Author's Note/**

Chapter 52: Come On Barbie, Let's Go Party

"I love cows," Lloyd remarked through a mouthful of food.

"You mean, when they're charred and broiled and condensed into patties and then stuffed in your mouth?"

"Well _of course!_ What else could I mean, Joe?"

"You guys are _gross. _And kind of morbid," said Eve, finding herself increasingly glad to have settled on a small bag of fries. The seven runaways had grabbed some light meals to go from Callaway Café, courtesy of Carl's parents, and were leisurely strolling down Azure Street. The back of their necks burned from either the afternoon sun overhead, or the shame of skipping - though it was probably the former. None of the individuals present were particularly conscious of school rules, anyway. Discussion ranged from Theodore's sudden reappearance to the more familiar Nami-bashing, with the conversation occasionally indulging in some of the more gossip-y topics, such as whatever was going on between Ann and Louis (which the group agreed was, if nothing, inappropriate and plain _weird) _and the likes of Katie an Dan (which had Joe taking bigger and bigger bites of his hamburger before finally choking and having to be rescued by Ray's impressive Heimlich maneuver).

As the steady stroll down Azure Street continued, the dynamic began to shift slightly. Eve had relinquished her hold on Ray and had fallen back to talk to Gwen, who had been anything _but_ talkative the entire time, Carl and Sacchun had been reduced to puppy-like affection, walking hand-in-hand and making incoherently cute noises at one another, and Joe, Lloyd, and Ray lead the group as they swerved through groups of shoppers and civilians, heading nowhere in particular.

Lloyd walked with his hands placed behind his head, on occasion allowing himself to drift from the conversation he was engaged in to strain his ears and hear the one going on behind him; Gwen and Eve had taken up the rear and the only thing he could distinguish were whispers and the odd scoff. Gwen was certainly talking again, but Lloyd's ears burned at the faint sound of her voice; if only he could hear what they were saying.

"Dude, are we actually headed anywhere? These mosquitoes are eating me alive," Ray swatted one of the flying menaces against his arm.

"I like mosquitoes, actually…" Lloyd murmured absently, his mind still several paces behind his body, back with Gwen and Eve.

"…Okay then."

Joe glanced further down the street. "Y'know, we're awfully close to the Vet's, why don't we—"

"PUPPIES!" Sacchun flew from Carl's grip and darted past the boys in the direction of the veterinarian's.

"Yeah… that."

The troupe entered Barley's clinic, expecting to see the elderly man, but were instead greeted again by his pint-sized assistant.

"Oh, it's you guys!" she said, running around from behind the desk that was too tall for her anyway, "Mr. Joe and the Bi—"

"_Hahaha Oh May! _You _know _my name's pronounced _Sa-cchun, _you cute little runt!" Through gritted teeth, Sacchun smiled and patted May on the head.

"At least she remembers you guys," Lloyd smirked, "How're the puppies, May?"

The flush of colour creeping into the youngster's face suggested that she _definitely _remembered Lloyd. Sacchun withdrew her hand from the suddenly blushing youth, and raised an eyebrow in Lloyd's direction.

This went unnoticed by May. "Who're those Barbies?"

Unsure of who she was talking about at first, the guys glanced over their shoulders to see if someone had entered behind them. The only people standing there, however, were the two blonde belles they had walked in with – and suddenly realization dawned.

"Barbie, huh?" Ray barely suppressed a snicker.

"…Don't even _think _about letting that become a _thing,_" warned Eve, sending a glower in her boyfriend's direction before turning to the braided child, "Hi there, sugar pie! I'm Eve, and this is Gwen!"

"Oh… Hi." May sounded almost disappointed that the Barbies had names.

"May? May, do we have customers?" Barley's voice asked from behind the curtained doorway, "I'm a little busy right now!"

"Gramps iss wrist-deep in kitty litter," explained May.

"Don't tell them _that! _Now who is it?"

"It's the puppy people!"

Barley emerged after a few moments from behind the curtain, his tiny spectacles in hand as he wiped his brow and placed them back over his eyes. "Good, good! Come see your puppies, they've been just dandy."

Unperturbed by the fact that there were four more youths than there were last time, Barley lead them to the room in back that served as a nursery. In fitting with his sunny personality, the room was brightly lit and painted a myriad of colours (one couldn't help but suspect May's involvement), with various barnyard animals imposed on the walls. On one of the counters against the wall was a cage filled to the brim with all the necessities and luxuries a dog – or several puppies – would need: food, water, shredded paper, chew toys, a plush bed, and a blanket with familiar-looking cows embroidered into its fleece exterior.

"Wow, sir, you didn't have to go through this much trouble… Especially since we just kind of rushed in here and dumped our dogs on you," Lloyd said apologetically, "This is all great!"

"Ah, I do it for the animals, sonny, all for the animals." Barley smiled and beckoned them over to the cage, which they huddled around.

As was to be expected, there was a collective '_Awwww' _from everyone present.

Though barely three days old, the puppies were a sight to behold – the four of them resembled the floppy eared beagle that Ringo was moreso than the pointy-eared Momo, but they differed slightly in hue. None of them had yet opened their eyes – not that they could see their faces anyway, as they were all currently buried in their mother's tummy.

"It's not wise to pick the _puppies_ up, but…" Barley stretched his arm into the cage and prodded Momo, who woke from her stupor and looked suddenly chipper at the sight of Sacchun's familiar face. She tried to get up and stopped mid-way, as if remembering, _Oh right, I have four leeching freeloaders clamped to my nipples, best not to disturb them. _

"Aw, Momo! You're a mommy!" Sacchun crooned, "And I'm a granny! Kinda!"

Eve smiled warmly down at them, "Enjoy it, girl. Soon they'll up and leave and will barely write."

"Sacchun, they're precious!" Carl gasped.

Ray seemed generally unimpressed, "They look like hairless gerbils. They _do _get cuter, right?"

"Of course!" said Sacchun indignantly, "At least, if they take after their Granny in any way…"

"We should've brought Ringo! Poor guy hasn't even seen the results of his hard work!" said Joe.

"_What _hard work?" Sacchun shot at him, "_He _just had to knock her up, _he _didn't just squeeze four newborns out of his –"

"Hey guys! What are we all looking at?"

Cliff appeared behind them and peered over (the significantly shorter) Carl. "Oh man! Look at them!" The gang turned to the new arrival. Eve's eyes wandered; Ray's throat was cleared loudly.

"Well _hello _there, I'm Eve –"

"And I'm _Ray, _her _boyfriend. Pleased to meet you._"

"Same to you guys," Cliff grinned good-naturedly.

"Cliff!" Sacchun greeted, "How's the falcon?"

The rugged brunette held up an empty bird cage. "He can't quite fly yet, but I'm thinking of taking him home. Y'know, as a pet."

"Oh, _cool!_" exclaimed Joe, "Who needs a _dog, _I want a bitchin' falcon!"

"A what?" came May's voice from the other side of the room. Barley shot Joe a look.

"A… A Kitchen falcon! A falcon for my… my kitchen."

"Smooth," murmured Lloyd.

"Anyway, I was just visiting Azure Street to meet up with someone, and figured I'd drop in and check on the little guy," explained Cliff, "I… I kinda got attached."

"Totally understandable, man." Joe gave him a thumbs-up.

Eve and Ray went over to occupy May while the rest of the group crowded around the newborns. Gwen, despite her reluctance to be around Lloyd, couldn't help herself in front of a fresh litter of puppies – her love for animals outweighed many things, including her desire to avoid melodrama. Once Eve had shuffled out of the cluster around the counter, Lloyd found himself right beside Gwen and had to fix his gaze on the critters in front of him, heart beating faster all the while.

Eve had gone back to fanning herself with the pocket folder she was still holding when May addressed her. "Hey, Barbie?"

"Er… Yes, May?"

"Who's _that _Barbie?" The child pointed directly at Eve – or rather, what she was holding.

"Um…?" The blonde looked down and scanned herself, before realizing that May was talking about the very pocket folder in her hands, "_Oh!_"

She held her folder still, allowing May to get a good look of the face of another blonde 'Barbie' on the front. The lady, obviously a singer of some sort, stood against a pink backdrop with a microphone in her hand and long honey blonde hair and straight-cut bangs framing her face. Her burnt sienna eyes looked surprisingly thoughtful, almost betraying the pop princess appearance the rest of the image worked to maintain.

"Lanna Royce!" she exclaimed in a wounded voice. "What hope does your generation have if you don't know the pop sensation that is Lanna? What have your parents taught you?"

Just as they had the first time her parents had been mentioned, May's eyes were suddenly swimming in tears. "M-Mommy's gone f-far away and Grandpa said she m-might not come back…"

"Eek! I'm sorry, honey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it!" Eve hurriedly comforted the younger girl.

"Psh, '_pop sensation'", _Ray scoffed and rolled his eyes, "The less the young'uns know about her, the better off they'll be."

"Riiiight," Eve crossed her arms over her chest, "You weren't saying that when you had bought me tickets to her open-air concert this Friday. Correction: bought _us _tickets."

"I-I just happened to know someone who was selling them, you know how it is…"

Eve gave Ray a quick but tender peck on the lips, "I do; You _love _me, Mr. Ray."

"W-Well… I… Such a _big _word to t-throw around…" If there was anything that could dispel Ray's cool and calm façade, it was the mere mentioning of the word '_love'_. In the end, however, Eve preferred him this way.

"Hey May, Ray's in _love _with me!" she teased.

"Do you hafta say that in front of the little girl?" demanded a reddening Ray, to which Eve could only respond with a wink and a giggle.

"Now then, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Joe, Miss Sacchun," Barley addressed the trio, "I'll be happy to look after the little ones for the time being, and eventually help you find homes for them, but as a veterinarian, I must suggest that you spay Momo and possibly bring the father in for neutering."

"Oh, er…"

Sacchun looked down at Momo sadly and Joe rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"That's gonna be a bit pricy, isn't it…" he muttered, and Barley's eyebrows furrowed. He had always been more of an animal aficionado than a businessman, always willing to take in any animals even at his own expense. Still, the operations would be for the best, especially if the two dogs were living in such close proximity.

"We're sorry about all this, Mr. Barley," Sacchun gave him a slight bow.

"It's alright, it's alright!" he replied, with the air of a caring grandfather, "I'm going to go finish up some work; I'll let you three think it over." He left the room with his hands behind his back.

"Jeez…" Sacchun let out a sigh, "To think he could be that easy going! Imagine how he'd act if May ever came home knocked up or something!"

Before she had even finished the sentence, the teens had already predicted what would follow:

"If I came home _what?_"

"Nothing!" they called over in unison.

"I don't know about this, Joe and I barely have enough money for luxuries aside from _food, _and we all know we pretty much live off ramen and whatever the school supplies us for lunch," Lloyd crossed his arms and leaned against the counter, "Aren't there alternatives?"

"Maybe there's such thing as doggy… protection?" offered Joe - even Gwen raised her eyebrows at that.

Lloyd wrung his hands, "I don't know, does it need to be even that complicated? Can't we just… keep them apart?"

Despite avoiding looking into his eyes all day, Gwen finally found her head snapping up, her face level with his for once – and it did not looking particularly impressed.

"I dunno, Lloyd…" Joe scratched the back of his head again.

"Ringo could be, like, _converted_ to an indoor dog couldn't he? Or Momo, for that matter?"

Without realizing it, the blonde's hands had been balled into fists.

"I mean, they might not _like _it, but they'd adjust, wouldn't they? I'm just saying it'd beat having to _waste_ money on a – "

Lloyd would have finished that sentence if the room around him hadn't chosen that moment to start spinning violently. Why _was _it spinning? He began to suspect it had something to do with the throbbing pain he suddenly found himself with.

The colourful room slowly coming back into focus (the cows on the walls had looked like they had been racing around in circles), Lloyd found himself on the ground with a hand to his cheek which felt as if it was burning. One of his eyes was squint shut, and the other open enough to make out the watery form of the source of his pain – a blonde girl standing above him with her fist outstretched. Joe, Sacchun, Carl and Cliff all looked taken aback from what he could see, and could only imagine the faces of Eve, Ray and May. None of them had been fast enough to stop Gwen from, as it appeared, punching Lloyd in the face.

"You _idiot! _Having your animal fixed isn't a _luxury, _it's a freakin' necessity! Do you not realize how many problems cities like ours run into with all the strays running around? And more importantly, can you not _foresee _the fates of those strays? It's – It's the most irresponsible thing a pet owner can _do! _If you're not willing to take proper care of those animals then give them to someone _who will!_"

Lloyd stared at his attacker, her face distraught, her chest rising unevenly with her breaths, her very hair raised like that of a cat about to pounce.

And all that went through Lloyd's head at that moment was, '_Gwen punched me! …And now she's talking to me!' _

A similar thought seemed to go through Gwen's head, her magenta eyes widening as she straightened up suddenly and put a hand to her mouth, "_OhmyGoddessI'msosorry."_

"Um…"

"I just punched you."

"Y-You did.

"I … I just punched you. Oh Goddess. What the hell is wrong with me?"

"I – "

"I just get so riled up when it comes to animals! Shit, this is like when I nearly gave Bob that concussion for stepping on a hamster… Ahh, Lloyd! I'm so, so sorry, that was completely out of line, I just – I can't help it, I tend to get … _passionate _about my, well, my passions, and – I'm – I cannot _even _believe what an ass I just made of myself," Gwen flung her head back in embarrassment, "That was so, so not cool. Ugh."

Eve had folded her arms over her chest and was watching Gwen calmly with the faintest of smiles on her face. For the two not having spoken properly in months, this sudden dramatic interlude was just what they needed – especially with Gwen baring her more vulnerable side.

Gwen helped Lloyd off the ground, and, any bad blood between the two momentarily forgotten, brushed the side of his cheek with her hand, right where it had struck it moments before, "Crap. I'm sorry."

"You kinda had a moment there, didn't you?" Lloyd managed a smile which was reciprocated, though rather weakly. "Some good came of it, though…"

"Oh really?"

"We're kinda talking again, aren't we?"

Gwen's face hardened, then softened again a moment later, a smile emerging. "We kinda are. Weird, isn't it?"

Realizing she had allowed it to linger a moment to long, Gwen withdrew her hand and glanced around the room. Everyone seemed determined to act as if that little outburst hadn't quite happened; Joe looked more than happy to do so, finding Gwen even scarier than ever, and Cliff, who had been in the middle of texting someone, seemed genuinely disturbed.

Sacchun put an arm around Lloyd's shoulder, "You gotta stop gettin' beat up, buddy. I coulda swore that Gwen was about to finish the job Dan started!"

Against his will, Lloyd found himself laughing. Sacchun had an unnatural knack for making that happen.

At that moment, Barley walked back in and took her aside to discuss the costs of spaying Momo, among other things. They decided that it was likely for the best, but they'd have to secure some form of income before being able to do so. Lloyd agreed a little _too _enthusiastically, with a side glance at Gwen, who turned her attention out the window and fiddled with her ponytail as a means of distracting herself. Barley settled things with the teens and continued to be as generous as he had been previously – agreeing to watch over the puppies for as long as was needed, and to try and give them a 'student discount' on the respective operations – he was a man who, as he had said, did everything he did for the animals. He went on to explain that it was for these reasons he had decided to independently own a small business, and the teens could not have been more thankful.

After conferring with Barley, Joe, Carl and Sacchun headed back to continue looming over the newborns, Sacchun agreeing to give Momo a thorough brushing on Barley's behalf as he took to Cliff and began discussing the wild falcon's condition. Gwen had been distracted by a cage of orange tabby cats, and was biting her lip in an act of deep consideration (probably, Lloyd guessed, a sudden urge to adopt them all). He looked her over once when he was sure she wasn't looking back – subconsciously, Lloyd put a hand to his cheek again. As hurt as Gwen seemed to think he _should _be, he wasn't at all – something had certainly changed, but what It was, he couldn't quite put a finger on. Something about Gwen's passion had stirred _something _in him, but it certainly hadn't been anger or resentment. That, he was sure of.

Lloyd looked over at Ray, Eve and May on the other side of the room: Eve was discussing something with May in a very animated manner (or, it may be more accurate to say she was discussing something _at _May, who was far more interested in the colourful aquarium against the wall than at the Barbie who could barely take a breath between her words).

Catching Lloyd's inquisitive glance, Ray let out a slight yawn and informed him that May had 'gotten Eve started on some bubblegum pop princess idol'.

"Bubblegum Pop Princess Idol?" asked Lloyd as casually as he could.

"Lanna Royce."

"Oh, _her… _Yeah…" feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden, Lloyd thought about retracing his steps to the other side of the room, when he heard Eve speak.

"Oh May, you'd _love _her! I heard she's performing _'You Turn My Heart to (Yam) Pudding', _one of her _best_-selling singles, certified _gold!"_

It had already started before he even had a chance to stop himself.

"Actually… It was certified _platinum _as of three weeks ago, when the limited edition covers were reprinted and shipped out to stores for a second wave. They managed to sell 25,823 copies in the first week alone, which just brought her over the 250,000 mark, thus earning her her first platinum CD release that wasn't an album."

Ray, Eve, May, and the others around the counter indulged in a moment of awkward silence – Ray looking particularly affronted, and the beginnings of a smile played on the edges of Eve's mouth.

"Lloyd! How did you _know _that?" she asked gleefully.

Suddenly feeling _very _uncomfortable, the only thing the teenage boy could attempt to do was pass it off as casual knowledge, "Oh, y'know, I just heard it on the _radio, _o-or on the _internet, _or, um … internet-radio? Yeah?"

"_You're a fanboy!" _

"Not _really, _that's a bit extreme…"

"_You're totally a fanboy!" _

"Okay, okay! So what if I'm a _little _bit of one? We all have our guilty pleasures! Hell, Joe still streams past seasons of _Mineral Town's Top Model _when no one's around!" Lloyd argued defiantly.

"Thanks, dude. Thanks." Joe responded dryly.

Eve disregarded this, "I'm sure this means you'll be at the concert this Friday?"

"Ugh, I _wish_— I mean, uh, no, I won't be. If I had that kind of money at my disposal I wouldn't have been punched out a minute ago," he smiled grimly.

Gwen suddenly found herself very interested in the tiling beneath her feet.

Ray looked up hopefully. "Dude, you can have _my _ti—Ow!"

"You're _so _funny, Ray," Eve jabbed him in the sides, "_Hysterical._"

"_You _like that Barbie too?" May asked, suddenly reconsidering Lanna Royce, "Hmm…"

"Not _that _much, May, I mean, I just kinda got into her, and she's_- _well, you can't deny she has _talent _and – and that voice! Back me up, guys!" Lloyd turned pleadingly to Joe and Sacchun.

"I like her!" Sacchun admitted readily, "I mean, I thought that one song she wrote about fish to be … a little weird, and _'I'll Love you But not that Damn Bird' _was … unique. But she's pretty high up there for a popstar."

"Yeah, no." Joe said simply, refusing to indulge in any fanboy-ing over Lanna Royce.

Sacchun tilted her head and gave Lloyd a sad smile, "Lloydie, if I had _known _you were such a big ol' fanboy, we coulda found a way to get tickets!"

"Uh, talk about being at the right place at the right time!" Cliff said suddenly, looking up from his phone. Everyone turned to him. "I had some connections from work that managed to get me three tickets to the show, and – no offense, Lloyd – I have no interest in going. Wanna take them off my hands?"

"He'd _love _to!" Joe answered for him in a voice of mock enthusiasm, "We all know Lloyd _loves _his bubblegum pop!"

"Hey, her lyrics have _poignant _motifs and— Wait, actually, yes, I _would _love to. Are you sure that's okay?"

"Oh, totally, dude. In fact, you'd be doing me a favour, see, my co—"

Sacchun bounded over to Lloyd, pulling him into a headlock, "Ooh, Lloydy! Who're you gonna take with you? Me 'n Joe, right?"

Joe raised his hand in protest, "No thanks, just… no thanks."

Cliff spoke again, "Well, you can definitely take someone, it's just that my cous—"

"Take Gwen!" Eve suggested, her face breaking into a brand of smile reserved only for those who loved to meddle.

"I'd actually be pretty down for that." Gwen shrugged, "But I – I'd understand If you weren't, I mean, I _did _just… attack you. Eheheh."

"Uh, Maybe, If you're really cool with –"

"_As I was saying,_" Cliff took a few steps forward, cellphone still in hand, "One of those tickets is actually reserved for my cousin – she's also a fan. But she's around your age and goes to your school anyway, so I thought it might be cool if you guys could take her. She just texted, actually, she's on her way now. Consider it a favor to me."

"That sounds… fair." Lloyd said, but found himself biting his bottom lip in uncertainty. _Who from Flowerbud High was related to Cliff? _It wasn't like he was familiar with the entire grade, but even with this being the case, there was something about this that inspired a vague sense of unease, and couldn't Lloyd shake the feeling that something wicked this way came.

Now, Lloyd wasn't prescient in any way, but everyone knew that when you had these feelings, it was for some kind of reason.

"Sure, why not?"

The door chime over Barley's entrance rang faintly as the door opened and closed, and Cliff started towards the curtained doorway.

"Great! That's great, guys, seriously, thank you! Here, I'll introduce you to her,"

Then there were footsteps, slowly getting louder as Cliff's mysterious cousin made her way to the end of the hallway.

The curtains covering the doorway flew open to unveil a familiar face to all.

"Oh."

"Eh? … Oh! Oh, hey guys!"

"… Hi Karen!"

**/Post-Chapter Note: **Just a few things I wanted to mention: Lanna Royce is indeed the same Lanna from _Island of Happiness/Sunshine Islands_**. **She will be making a brief cameo in the chapters to come, much like Romana did so long ago. As for Gwen punching Lloyd – it might have seemed a bit out of the blue, _but, _if you've played _Hero of Leaf Valley _(which is beyond awesome and I definitely recommend it), you'll see that it's pretty in-character for her. Let me put it this way – I doubt I'll be leaving my chicken out in the rain again after _that _event. Also, Lloyd isn't being masochistic, in case anyone's mind was heading in that direction XD

Anyway, there are your two chapters for the year, enjoy! :D

… No, no, I'm just kidding. Now that I've got the momentum again, I'm definitely going to try and get another one out. Thanks again for all the reviews, they're always appreciated and work exceedingly well

at giving me the drive to continue this story. **End Post-Chapter Note/ **


	54. Nowadays

**/Author's Note: **Bet you didn't expect to see me again for a while, eh? ;D Here's another fairly lengthy chapter for you guys. Even though I meant to wrap up Season 2 around … 3 chapters ago, I think I can safely say the _next _chapter will be the finale – as long as I don't feel the urge to split more events into several chapters, which is essentially what's happened for the past few scenes xD

But the way things are looking now, Season 2 should be coming to an end by Chapter 54, and our final season of HH! should be kicking in. Hooray!

So, onto this chapter: I think a fair few of you will be pretty happy to find out who most of this chapter is about. It's been _way _too long since she's had some time in the spotlight (for obvious reasons, but still!). You'll find out who I mean shortly. Several things that happen in this chapter came about because I was rereading the Season 1 epilogue, which reminded me of a few things I needed to spend some time on, and this turned out to be the best time to do just that. It might be a good idea to refresh your memory by checking that out, haha. On that note, to those of you who've had to reread several times to remember all the details – I _so _feel your pain XD. I have to reread a good chunk of the story every time I start a new chapter, this one especially.

And a small note about the last chapter – Cliff having a falcon and being Karen's cousin is a small nod to the HM64 continuity. While HH! mostly follows the BTN/FoMT canon, I thought these were two small traits that would be fun to work in and that wouldn't majorly mess anything up. Just a little clarification!

And last, but not least, thank you for the reviews! I've gushed about how wonderful you all are before, but It never fails to astound me when I hear from you guys – the good, the bad, anything – it's just such a compliment that people can get so into my lowly fanfic xD. So a huge thank you for that, they really help keep me motivated. **End Author's Note/**

Chapter 53 – Nowadays

"To be honest? It hurts," said Meghan Winslow, one winters' eve, seemingly _eons _ago.

The blonde tugged her hot-pink parka jacket around her, as if shielding her body and her freshly-bared soul from the cold. She and her companion continued to walk down Azure Street, the sky grey and dotted with spots of puce light; the setting sun's feeble attempts at breaking through. The day had been bleak and blistery, but, as if to tease the land-dwellers, the sun had decided to make a last-minute appearance towards the day's end before it graced the other side of the world with its presence.

"How could it not?" Meg's companion, a substantially shorter girl with flawlessly curled orange ringlets for hair, flicked her wrist out, "Listen to me, Meg. _What he did was inexcusable. In-ex-cu-sable," _she wagged a finger with every syllable, "And you are _not _going to forgive him so easily."

"Kinda cashed in the forgiveness-cheque already, Katie, and those aren't exactly easy to take _back_…"

"Pushover."

Meg was mildly surprised at how much time she had been spending with the cheerleader as of late. The alternative, however, was being holed up in her dorm room, whittling away the Winter Break by reading, or playing her violin, or immersing herself in the wonders of the internet – all appealing options, to be sure, but the mind comes to crave social interaction at one point or another. The idea of staying cooped up in the dormitory was made even less appealing by the absence of Sacchun, who had flown out to visit her parents during the break. At first, the sudden peace and quiet had been a welcome change, but Even Joe and Lloyd were out of town, off on a snowboarding venture of some sort up north. With everyone else being similarly busy, whether with family or friends, and Kurt – she felt a pang of pain, of guilt, of _longing _whenever the boy came to mind – being _officially_ off the charts, Meg found herself longing for companionship.

This was when Katie had entered the picture. She and Meg had, merely a year ago, been at odds with one another over the former denying the latter a position on the Cheerleading team. Bitter as teenage girls tend to be, the two did not speak until Katie ended up dating one Joe Daggett come December, and suddenly they were in each other's presence more often than they'd _ever _wanted to be. Still, like Meg, Katie had stayed behind for the break, and after weeks of pretending to like each other for Joe's sake, they figured they might as well try and like each other _for real _and make amends.

This lead to a series of evenings heavy with the air of, _'Well, you're not much, but you'll do'_.

Being one such evening, the two girls had donned their winter wear and made for the streets, hoping to bond over some dinner. There were two things that made Katie an appealing candidate when it came to being Meg's emotional wastebasket: she, unlike Sacchun and the boys, maintained a level of distance, and, again unlike her other friends, was less likely to sugar-coat any advice she might have to offer.

"C'mon Meg, I expected you to be _stronger _about this!" This was one such instance.

Something about _expectations _– pre-conceived notions, often far too presumptuous and needlessly emphatic – gnawed at Meg every time someone made one. But, as was _expected _of her in such a situation, she didn't correct Katie and merely let her continue.

"Look, what happened to you is basically _every _girl's worst nightmare. We're _teenage girls_, we're _insecure_, we long for a man's reassuring …touch," Katie stated matter-of-factly, showcasing her shrewd – yet potentially realistic - view of the world, "You don't think we girls haven't been talking about what a sleazeball move that was? Don't think it's just you, hon. If Ray did that to Eve, if Kai did that to Popuri, Hell, if Joe did that to _me – _we'd be crushed. For every broken girl, there's a man who broke her."

"I won't lie," Meg turned her gaze skywards, "I've been… insecure, for a long time. I have a lot to be insecure about, and I don't deal with it as well as I co… as well as I should."

"And?"

"And Kurt sure as hell didn't help that," The pit of her stomach bubbled.

"Exactly," beamed Katie, pleased at the conclusion they had reached, "And the men who wrong us are not worth our time, much less our friendship."

Unable to lie to herself, Meg did conclude that Katie's words made sense to her. She _loved _Kurt – screw anyone who dared to tell her otherwise – she _loved _him. She wasn't going to be satisfied playing second fiddle to the Ice Queen (and couldn't help but grimace the apropos expression).

_ "Come on Meg. This isn't worth throwing away a perfectly good relationship. Please?" _Kurt had pleaded that night.

_Maybe not to you, _she thought bitterly, feeling a savage rush of anger erupt from the bowels of her mind. Hearing those words again in her head, away from the intoxicating presence of her love, made them sound all the more foolish. The truth, now clear as crystal in her unclouded mind, was that she didn't _want _to be friends. Not with him and _definitely _not with Dia.  
_ "I'll think about it," s_he had said coldly. And that was just what she was doing.

"I'm kind of feeling sushi today, you?" suggested Katie, her eyes wandering hungrily.

"Something warm," Meg mumbled, "Hot chocolate? Coffee?"

Katie winced, "I've been putting in overtime at the Café. Anything _but, _please."  
"Fair enough."

Both sets of eyes darted around Azure Street, hoping a satisfying and simultaneously affordable restaurant would spring up before them as they walked. Their recent get-togethers had served as trial runs for most of the smaller restaurants along the street – it was somehow startling to find that there were actually _more _places to eat beyond the school cafeteria and Doug's Place. Katie's sweet tooth initially lead them to a small bakery (she bit her lip, suddenly regretting ruling out hot chocolate) and the pair stopped and took in the sights and scents behind the showcase window.

"I've never been in here… Funny, I thought I'd checked out all the bakeries in town…" Katie remarked.

"Well, why not try it out? Gorging on chocolate sounds pretty appealing to _me."_

"Eh, what the hell, why not?"

As if the universe conspired against her, Katie's question was answered a second later. Across the counter was a rather scared looking clerk, plump and middle-aged, who was getting the stare-down from a tall and slender creature. The girl had long black hair with a brilliant violet sheen to it that seemed to catch the light regardless whether or not there was any to catch. She appeared to be having a few choice words with the clerk – words that, if the older woman's tormented face was anything to go by – the girls weren't quite sure they wanted to hear.

"Lucy," grunted Katie, looking as if she had just swallowed something sour.

"I _thought _she looked familiar. I've seen her around school and stuff..."

"Don't bother with her, Meg," warned Katie gravely, as if picking up on the hint of curiosity in her companion's voice, "Seriously. If there's any wisdom I can impart on you, it's that people like her are a _waste _of space."

"Harsh words! Wasn't she your BFF not too long ago or something? Cheerleading Squad co-captain and the like?"

Katie's eyes remained fixed on the back of Lucy's head, "_I _was her co-captain, actually. I only became captain after she underwent her bitchification and hopped off the top of the pyramid, so to speak. Can we not stick around? Especially not while talking about her?"

"Eh, I wasn't in the mood for sweets anyway," remarked Meg, "I was just too polite to say so."

"Cute."

Just as Meg had taken a step, the bakery's glass doors swung open and she felt something hook on to her hood and yanked her backwards. Katie had grabbed her and pulled her behind the side of the grey staircase leading up to the bakery's front doors, and out strolled Lucy, a heart-shaped lollipop in hand that she had clearly lifted from the shop of her own volition.

Before popping it into her mouth, the purple-haired youth grumbled audibly about being unable to _buy a certain substance_ as a legitimate ingredient for brownies.

"_This _is gonna be a lame-ass party without my famous brownies," she hissed, crumpling the lollipop's wrapper mercilessly in her gloved hand, and turning to a wary onlooker "_Yes, _ma'am, I _am _talking to myself, and if you had _any _idea what was good for you, you'd turn those tennis balls you call _eyes _to your son, who's currently peeing himself and probably needs your attention much more than I _ever _did."

When the sound of her boots (as well as the sound of a toddler's fresh cries) finally faded off, the two girls stepped out from behind the cement staircase.

"Wow. So, uh, you weren't kidding on that whole 'bitch' thing."

"Nuh uh."

"…Wow."

No longer at all in the mood for sweets, the two started off again, Katie looking sour and Meg looking oddly thoughtful – there had been something about Lucy that had greatly interested her.

Deciding to cross to the other side of Azure Street (for the sole reason of avoiding any potential confrontations with the purple-haired horror), the pair ended up settling on a soup bowl restaurant, one Joe had once claimed had to be the most '_awesomely epic' _restaurant on Azure Street.

"He's brought me here before," remarked Katie, looking up at the sign, face glowing at the thought of her object of affection. Heaving a tragic sigh and putting her weight on the door, she moaned, "Distance really does make the heart grow fonder, doesn't it?"

Meg felt a stab of bitterness, her lips opening as if about to say, _'Right, that's totally something I've experienced.' _For a moment, she wanted to – the words lingered on her tongue, stinging like venom.

Upon entering the quaint restaurant, the girls were faced with a mirrored wall, giving the restaurant the appearance of being twice as big. Katie wrinkled her nose and twirled one of her ringlets, Meg standing next to her and staring at her own complexion – dull, plain, and with a full head of golden hair that could have been easily mistaken for the top of a haystack.

"I'm jealous," Katie had sensed Meg's silent self-scrutiny, "I wish my hair had that much body. Mine is so – ugh, stringy. You run your hand through it and it's a mess."

"Mine's always a mess," Out loud, Meg's voice sounded hollow – she hoped it was her imagination and tried to force a tone of non-chalance, "Mom always said I had the look of a farm girl."  
Katie laughed at this, deaf to the bitterness in her companion's voice, "Shall we?"

Sitting down, Meg wrapped her jacket around the seat, and the two perused the menus. As Katie sat down elegantly and chatted with their waiter amicably, Meg let her eyes absorb the image that was Katie Bellevue: The girl wore a tight-fitting black turtleneck that day, but one that only one with her supple body could pull off; the fabric wrapped around her chest and waist tightly, accentuating her upper body in ways you'd never think a turtleneck could. Around her neck was a necklace with a small, gleaming topaz; a gift from Joe, her beloved. Her eyes were full of warmth and sociability; the waiter with whom she spoke looked as if he could have drowned in them.

'_She's so… desirable,' _concluded Meg with a slump of her back. A memory resurfaced, one of her standing on the cold hard floor of the gym, staring at Katie, the head cheerleader, across from a long table, wanting nothing more than to _be _in that seat – No, wanting nothing more than to _be _her. She had barely taken in the words Katie had said that day, only remember the resounding, _'Sorry, but no. Try again next year, 'kay?' _  
All things considered, she was glad that Katie had either forgotten that moment, over a year ago, or had never registered it in her mind – surely she had turned down many girls that day, right? While _she _may not have remembered – or was choosing to pretend it had never happened – the case was not quite the same for Meg, who had found it much harder to shake off. The word _undesirable _kept floating to the surface.

"Meg, Goddess, you're shivering!" Katie looked alarmed, turning to Meg once the waiter had left.

"It's winter, Katie. Get some soup in me and I'll be _fine,_" She eyed the sky and the sun's soft, diffused light as it dipped beneath the city's buildings and the horizon.

They ordered. There had been a slight delay, as Katie had _had _to text Joe to demand what he would have recommended had he been here (she had decided upon a Sweetfish Noodle Soup). Meg ordered a bowl of warm Buckwheat Noodles – and subsequently prayed it would not take them long to prepare it, the cold nipping at her even within the confines of the restaurant.

"So about Kurt," Katie doggedly returned to the topic, "Was he dropped on the head a lot as a baby or…?" She succeeded in making Meg laugh briefly. Pleased, she added, "Look. He might be a dumbass and have all the social graces of a mole in daylight, but he'll do the right thing. He _has _to."

"By the looks of it, he's going to date Dia and try to rehabilitate her or something," Again, Meg could hear the hollowness in her voice, "Apparently _that's _the right thing."

"Yeesh. Hero complex much?"

_'Not quite as bad as the girls with damsel-in-distress complexes,' _Meg mentally retorted, not entirely excluding herself from said group.

"Whatever, whatever. He'll come to his senses eventually. I mean, if he isn't soon spooked off by her goth_-y_ ways, I'm sure she'll turn out to be as frigid in bed as she is in her everyday life!" sneered Katie, hoping for another laugh out of her blonde cohort. The image, however, of Dia and Kurt together _– in bed – _wasn't the funniest subject matter to Meg. Realizing that the face in front of her had practically turned to stone, Katie seized Meg's hands and told her earnestly, "Alright, listen. You've reached a crossroad. You made it through the perilous Forest of Masculine Stupidity and the trail splits here."

The ginger carved three 'paths' into a placemat with her nails.

"_This _leads to the Dungeon of Petty Revenge. Not the _wisest _choice, but not the _worst – _and probably the most fun. Er, but I didn't say that. It'll get you closure one way or another – even if it means juvenile pranks and attempting to break them up…" Thought process suddenly halted as Katie slowly recalled the night of the Christmas concert, she added, "Okay, so you were kind of already _on _that path. But you backtracked, so, y'know, fair game; Either way, it's an option."

A delicately manicured finger traced the second path.

"Then we go down _here, _to the Tower of Transcendence – you can climb it and go above and beyond what happened to you: forget all about Kurt, forget all about Dia, find someone for yourself, and _move on," _though clearly not finding this righteous route to be quite as fun as the alternative, Katie pressed on with her elaborate analogy: "This one's an uphill climb, but you'll _really _get over it all this way."

Finally, Katie's finger touched down on the paper again and made its way down the third path.

"And _this _would be the…" She paused momentarily, clearly unsure of what to name her next Aesopian destination, "… The path down to the Bog of Bitterness. Yep, the Bog of Bitterness. You'll notice the path here is the shortest," she retraced the imaginary path with her finger, "Because it's the easiest to turn towards. If you don't have the energy, don't have the _drive_ to take the other two, longer yet more fulfilling paths, the weary traveler ends up down _there. _It's barren there, it's _bleak _there – it's where you end up when the path thus far has simply drained you of the energy to even _care _about where you end up."

Nodding severely, eyebrows furrowed, Katie perked up again in an instant, "Not that I expect you to go down _that _path," she chortled good-naturedly. Meg flinched internally at the _expectation _being imposed on her yet again, but suppressed it; to some, what Katie had just said could easily have been taken as a compliment, and yet to the cynical Meg, the words only bit at her. She felt a sense of spite rising.  
"So what do you think?"

The blonde drew a breath, "Katie – two things. One, don't _ever _go for a Psychology major. Two… I think you've been playing too many video games with Joe." If she was going to be cynical, she figured she should use it to her advantage – and in this case, it made an excellent defense to avoid indulging Katie further.

Cheek cupped in her hand, she giggled, "I think you're right. Not that the video games have been all bad – I mean, knowing my way around a controller turned out to be a _real _turn on for Joe, with all my fingers working around that gamepad like a _master._" Katie intertwined her fingers and stretched them in front of her smugly.

"Insert groan here," deadpanned the recoiling blonde, eyeing Katie's hands through wincing eyes.

"_Then,_" started the younger girl, with a tone indicating they were returning yet again to the topic of Kurt, "There's the matter of the social backlash you're _definitely _gonna have to deal with once school starts up again."

"Amazingly enough, that's something I _couldn't give two craps about, _Katie. I mean, seriously? It's not like half the gossip that goes around has any dependable basis – half the people who indulge in it know, like, fifteen percent of the whole story anyway. Let them talk." _As long as I don't have to hear it._

"…And that matter's soundly put to rest!" announced Katie with a clap of her hands.

"_You _don't really care about that, do you? I mean, your high-school reputation that _no one's _going to remember?"

A grim smile materialized on Katie's face, "I _try _not to. I mean, I'm not trying to usurp the queen bees or anything, but sometimes I… It…" For the girl who had offered such extensive guidance moments before, Meg was starting to see – and could not help but feel guiltily gratified at the sight of it – cracks appear in Katie's stalwart façade.

"Mhmm?"

"I… I just know I'm not – I mean, no one's _perfect, _but…" struggling with her words and cocking her head to the side, the cheerleader let out a small sigh, "I'd just _rather _people say good things about me… and not, y'know, talk about any flaws I may have. I know – I – I know everyone _has _flaws but – I figure, if mine aren't so apparent… It won't be so hard for people to… get close to me."

_The Great Katie has flaws? Say it isn't so! _Meg couldn't help but think, but had enough tact not to voice.

"No, you're … well, you're not _wrong _in your views. And it's a good thing you're not aiming for top dog, I mean, could you imagine? The _head cheerleader _becoming the most popular girl at school? Could Flowerbud _be _any more of a cliché?" This time around, Meg had gotten a laugh out of Katie, and the girls returned to their cheery disposition. The arrival of food further drove away any more somber thoughts, allowing them to bury their faces in bowls of warmth and nourishment.

School would start again soon, and they'd be thrown head-first back into the battlefield of teenaged melodrama, which was, admittedly, nothing compared to the warzone that was life post-high school.

_There would still be time to figure things out._

Not long from then, in the near future, two girls would think back on this conversation, lips curling into wry smiles.

* * *

A mass of blue cascaded down her back as Mia lightly lifted the towel from her head, letting her usually pinstraight hair fall over her shoulders and face in a wet tangle. As much as she worked to keep her hair prim and proper (much like the rest of her appearance), Mia bit her lip uncertainly while staring into the foggy mirror, allowing herself to indulge in a moment of uninhibited self-examination.

In short, Mia Wallace was checking herself out in the bathroom mirror.

This was before she realized that there was very little _worth _checking out, and quickly brushed her cerulean hair out of her face. _Bangs will never work for me, _she concluded with a tiny sigh – another voice in her head replied, in the same stern tone Mia often adopted out loud, _Isn't it good, then, that you don't care about such trivialities?_

She couldn't help but concur. _Still, _the significantly quieter voice persisted, _wouldn't it be nice to have a look that couldn't be summed up in 'simple & clean'?_ _To look less austere, more… alluring?_

Mia smothered her hair in the towel again and shook it dry, as if physically expelling the thoughts from her head. How unfortunate it was for her, when her being a girl got in the way of so many more important things – this, she thought grimly, applied to many things.

A good distraction, she decided, was in order. Despite having just taken a shower, the feeling and smell of thick smoke lingered on her skin and nose respectively, after dashing through the many corridors of her high school more than twenty four hours ago – the effects were clearly still lingering on her mind as well. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the unfinished book she had left on the granite counter.

Mia grinned in spite of herself – _when in doubt, turn to literature. _One of the benefits of living in such a big house with herself and her father as the only residents was that Mia got the full luxury of converting one of the bathrooms into her own space.

Though she had just taken a shower, the thought of submerging herself in both water and a good book proved to be too appealing – Mia knelt down and switched the bathtub tap on. Reaching out for her novel, something else caught her eye which made her immediately regret looking in that direction. Sparkling at her from a distance was a small glass bottle of translucent bath pearls, catching the light and casting their own multicolored variation on the dark surface of the counter.

A gift from Portia Wallace; A gift from Mia's mother.

The bottle had been there since Christmas, when it had arrived in a small package her father had brought home from the post office – no card, no letter – barely a '_Merry Christmas, Mia'. _

Instantaneously suppressing the thoughts that threatened to spill out whenever she was reminded of her mom (a routine she was too used to, by now), Mia grabbed the book and sat on the side of the pearl white tub as the water level rose slowly, thumbing through the pages to the spot she had bookmarked.

The jar glittered annoyingly at her. Now that she had noticed it, the tiny colourful balls in its confines were a hundred times more distracting. Sighing, she left her book open without having read a page and walked over to the counter. Against her better judgment and her usual routine of repression, Mia popped the cork off the bottle and took a whiff of the crystalline globes within it.

With it, came the scent of her mother – these were the exact same bath pearls she had been using for years – and a rush of sensory familiarities. _Mom's smile, Mom's hair, its texture, her lipstick, the feel of her lips against my cheek, her face, her touch, her kiss, her…_

The image Mia had worked hardest to repress the past few days broke out into the surface of her consciousness – _her smile, her hair, her lipstick, her lips – _but this time, _a wedding dress. An aisle_. _An unfamiliar face standing at the end of it. _

Without noticing, Mia had squeezed the oil right out of one of the bath pearls clutched in her grip. She sighed again, the images in her mind distorting and flying straight back to her subconscious, like an old video cassette being rewinded. _How typical of her, _Mia mused, _A Christmas gift much more suited for herself… in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it were a spare bottle she had; it'd certainly save her the trouble of… _Feeling resentment rise, the girl shook her head and derailed the surge of emotion – there was certainly no need for it.

_Might as well, _she thought, emptying the bottle into the bathtub. The pearls fell a few at a time, catching the light once more before hitting the rippling surface of water. The familiar smell expanded and rose with the steam of the bath. _Better than having them lying around. _

Dipping herself in, feet first, Mia felt the warmth of her mother around her for the first time in many, many years.

* * *

"Thanks again, Katie! Really, thanks!' the enthusiastic grin on Carl's face only made her snort. "I'll cover as many shifts for you as you need after this!"

His coworker grunted as she lifted her end of the table, "I – urgh – look forward to fully exploiting – uh, _enjoying _that." Carl lifted his end and the two of them managed to move the table against the old stone wall of the café, finally having completed their task of cleaning up the terrace before heading home for the night. Popular an attraction though it was, it _did _mean a bit of extra effort on their part during closing hours.

Standing within the fenced-in area, Carl's ecstatic face was visible enough under the light given off by the black lamp posts. "I _never _would have thought I'd be able to get these _now, _not with the concert two days away!" He gleefully dug the pair of tickets out of his trouser pockets and held them up, looking them over for the sixth time that night.

"Dude, it really wasn't a big deal. Connections, connections, that's all it was. Enjoy it, 'kay?"

Katie was evidently amused and perplexed (well, maybe not _that _perplexed) at Carl's taste in music – Honestly, Lanna Royce? She was _good, _but enough to warrant _this _reaction?

To Carl, it had barely even registered that he'd be going to see _Lanna _in concert. _That _was just a bonus – the real gain here was that Sacchun would be just as ecstatic, if not more, once he gave her the tickets. The look on her face – as he imagined it, of course – had kept him giddy ever since Katie had offered to part with her free tickets, having no strong affinity to Lanna's music herself.

"B-But, you're a lifesaver! I can't thank you enough! I mean, I could _try. _Want me to try? Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you –"

"_Chill, _Carl, yeesh! I'm just helping out a friend! I had – other plans for Friday night anyway, I wouldn't have been able to go even if I wanted to."

A small part of Carl wondered whether or not this was genuine – there was no denying Katie's change in personality since her breakup with Joe and subsequent hook up with Dan. She wasn't nearly the same, not after what had happened – and he knew that if he told Sacchun _truthfully _from whom he had acquired these tickets, she'd rip them to shreds. Katie, to Sacchun, Lloyd, Kurt – to anyone even remotely close to Joe – was scum, nowadays.

_She just won't know, then, _he reasoned to himself. Carl reasoned to himself that it was _never _good to have bad blood between coworkers – and that maybe, just maybe, this was a Katie-like attempt at redemption.

…Even _he _realized they were feeble excuses, but they'd have to do. These were for Sacchun, and things were going to be perfect.

_Perfect, _he thought determinedly.

_Perfect. _

* * *

Lucy Clifford kicked the door to her basement open, grocery bags in hand and a smirk of epic proportions in place. "_Oh Meggie~?" _she called.

Meg looked up from the magazine she was reading with a vapid look on her face, "Welcome home, darling," she joked dryly, "Hard day at work?"

"Uh, _yeah. _Look at all this shit!" she tossed the bags on one of the many couches lining the walls of her large basement, "Friday's going to be wild!"

The thin blonde was already rummaging through them. "Extremely. Let's see, chips, soda, beer, nachos – Ooh, guacamole! – All the makings for a good party. And in this bag… let me guess, you stopped for some 'brownie ingredients'?"

Lucy put her hands on her hips and stretched, grinning all the while.

"Friday's going to be wild."

* * *

There was no absence of stars in the sky that night.

"Which is why I doubt I'll be missed during this stop," A girl giggled, honey-blonde hair framing her face as it gazed out the window of her private jet.

The stars grew smaller as the plane began to decline, carrying a star of its own into the depths of the city.

"And here I am…"

* * *

**/Post Chapter Author's Note: **Just in case it wasn't clear, the first part (involving Meg & Katie) takes place during January, and the rest of the scenes are all taking place during the present (Around late May). Thank you, as always, for reading! :) See you soon! I'm going to go find earplugs to muffle the squeals that I predict will come with Meg's quasi-comeback. XD **End Author's Note /**


	55. As Long as We Try : Part 1

**/Author's Note: **So here we are, at the finale to Season 2. Only… Just as I predicted, it ended up having to be split up. Sigh. The first few scenes ended up getting longer than I intended, so it started to become apparent that the climax would just work better in two chapters. But hey, you guys get a new chapter earlier, so that's something, right?

So! This is still the finale, but Part 1 of 2 (or possibly 3 – but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for 2!).

I also have some other kind of news that could be of interest. I'll be starting a **Harvest High! Tumblr Blog. **This is for a few reasons: Instead of being in the dark for so long between chapters, you can now refer to the blog to get updates about the status of the upcoming chapter – I might even include little snippets or sneak peeks, without giving away too much. Secondly, with Tumblr's Ask Box feature, you can now ask any questions you want in regards to the story and I can reply directly – and you don't even need a Tumblr account to do that. So anything you may have been wondering, any bits of Character trivia you might have wanted to ask, or any curiosities you needed taking care of can now be sent to the blog's ask box, and I can interact with you guys a lot more.

Lastly, as I'm sure you've all been aware of all the… changes going on, I've decided that having a backup of the fanfics on another website _might _be a good idea. Not that Harvest High! Is, as far as I'm concerned, violating any rules or guidelines, but better safe than sorry, right?

The URL will be available on my profile, so I hope to see you there!

While on the topic of rules and guidelines, I've edited a few of the past chapters, which you may or may not have noticed. Any chapters with lyrics belonging to a singer or group have been censored (but of course – the uncensored versions will be available on the blog!), and other small details have been changed, in the interest of keeping HH from being affected by the purge.

Alrighty, so that's just about it. As always, I'm honoured and genuinely flabbergasted at the praise this fanfic seems to get, and I love hearing from all of you – not just the praise, but the critiques, the support, whatever you have to say – I really do love hearing it. Thanks a lot, guys! I'd have given up on this fanfic long ago if not for your devotion. **End Author's Note/**

Chapter 54 – As Long as We Try : Part 1

The week had gone by remarkably quickly. This was likely helped along by Monday's fire, which had been certainly an exciting kick-off, but left them with no classes the day afterwards as the school was ensured to be safe and fully fumigated. This didn't strike any of the students as a great loss.

Wednesday had seen their return, as well as finding out that the fire had been primarily in the vents and the walls themselves – a result of several wires short-circuiting. Theodore had returned to his station and seized his role as Principal once again (with students and staff alike suddenly wondering just _how _the school had run so smoothly – well, _mostly_ – in his absence). The rotund principal had donned a familiar red suit Wednesday morning and addressed the school at large at an assembly, informing them of their precious school's condition. No significant damage had been done – and if you were a student like Joe Daggett, this was exactly the kind of news you _didn't _want to hear. One unfortunate student, however, _was_ affected. Having originated in the walls, the fire had travelled and spread through any openings it could find – and one such opening just happened to be a hole in the back of a very poorly kept locker.

"I apologize _deeply, _Mr. Ray, for the inconvenience. We will try to compensate you in any way we can, and any school work lost in the incident will not be counted towards your final mark," A remorseful Theodore had told the young athlete that morning.

Ray had whimpered at the thought of his burnt possessions, then shrunk even further into his seat as all the eyes in the auditorium were suddenly on him.

"Yeah, like Nami's gonna accept _that _as an excuse," Lloyd had snickered beside him, before taking on Nami's infamous tone, "_Your homework caught on fire? A likely story, Mr. Ericson! The only thing on fire around here is my hair!" _

Things had finally gotten back into the swing of things by Thursday – Flowerbud High was, for the most part, back to normal. This would be a good thing - if not for the bumbling Louis and his feeble attempts at teaching, the iron-fisted kill-joy that was Nami, Terry's out-dated and often crass methods of teaching (and his progressively worsening senility), Doug's silent rebellion in response to recent events, and every other teacher attempting to quell the excitement growing in their tenth graders at the prospect of the Forget-Me-Not Trip, which was finally, _finally _in sight. It wasn't an easy task, but a necessary one; exams would be upon them not long after – not least of all, the newly instated National English Exam.

"Flowerbud's teachers are_ such _quality," Dia had scoffed sarcastically that Thursday.

"In its defense," Kurt pointed out, "People actually used the word '_prestigious' _when describing Flowerbud High – _before _this year."

"Heehee, no wonder my parents nearly yanked me out of here by the ear…" Sacchun had responded.

It was later in the day, on that Thursday evening, that Sacchun received a gift.

Sitting outside Callaway Café with her sweetheart after school, the two shared a parfait under the beating sun of late spring. Katie had been the one to bring it to them, and, as was expected, Sacchun blanched at the sight of the girl and gave an almost repugnant glance at the dessert on her tray as if it, too, was tainted. She forgot this rather quickly as Carl hastily fed her the first bite from his spoon. Soon, Katie – among any other negative things – had fled Sacchun's mind. The short boy had this effect on her – whether it was one of his meek, yet comforting smiles, or the whiff of savory pastries that seemed to linger on him constantly, Carl acted as the tuner that stifled bad thoughts and composed her.

"Mmm, you're the best," Sacchun sighed.

"A-Am I?" stammered the blonde mousily.

"I was _talking _to the parfait," she stuck another spoonful in her mouth and gave the boy a cat-like grin.

Carl made a sound between a laugh and a whimper, prompting Sacchun to only laugh.

"An-Anyway, sweetie, I wanted to give you something else. I mean, aside from the parfait."

"You mean you're _paying_ for this yumminess? _Score!_" cheered his girlfriend, licking the cream off her lips.

"Ahaha, well, consider it a perk of working at the Café. But… Not _just _that. You're my girlfriend and…"

Sacchun paused, looking up from the parfait glass and giving Carl her undivided attention (an honor so few people got from the impetuous teenager).

"And just… you were my _first _girlfriend. You gave me a taste of a world I only really, well, _dreamed _about. It's not like I'd ever have the guts to a-ask someone _out, _y'know? But then you came out of the blue and just – things just fell together so _perfectly, _and…"

"Carl, It's – "

"You're my _girlfriend _– a thought I still can't wrap my head around – and even more than that, you're my _friend, _and it's… such an unreal feeling. You really… Ah, shoot, this isn't going to come out any less corny, so let's get it out already: you really _gave _me life."

Sacchun blanched again, this time not out of repugnance but outright emotion.

"Yeah…" Carl put his hands together and cast his look downwards, his blonde curls falling in front of his reddening face. Carl's object of affection couldn't help but be reminded of their first meeting, right at this same café – sans the awkward facepalm-worthy attempts at flirting.

Sacchun stared at his interlaced fingers, looking oddly pale in contrast with the deep red the rest of his skin seemed to be dyed with. She too looked away before speaking.

"Carl…" Despite the late afternoon rush the Café seemed to be enduring, Sacchun couldn't help but feel like her voice was reverberating loudly, "You know I… _pretty _much only ended up asking you out to one-up Joe, right?"

Expecting Carl to look crushed, or at the very _least _surprised, Sacchun was taken aback by the almost immediate nod in response to her question.

"Mm-hmm."

"Well… I was bein' immature, you know? But… what does it matter how something _started, _if it ended up being something lovely, right?"

The baby-faced boy nodded again.

"I'm sorry… I mean, I strung you along in a way. I… wasn't completely honest. But that doesn't _mean _anything _now, _not after all that's happened! You… you're not mad, are you?"

_I'm not, _Carl thought, _and maybe that's the problem…?_

Looking up with a small chuckle and a non-chalant wipe of the eyes, Carl said, "No, honey. I couldn't be. Ever, really."

"Ever?" The brunette quirked an eyebrow, parfait forgotten on the table.

Carl only closed his eyes and smiled, choosing not to reply – at least, not with words.

"…Carl?"

"So," he pressed on, his voice surprisingly assertive, "Y'wanna know what I got you?"

"Oh. Uh, yeah! Totally!"

Tucked away in the chest pocket of his vest were the two tickets Katie had given him earlier that week – the ones to the Lanna Royce show. Removing them from his pocket, Carl's eyes flashed in the other direction and he caught a brief glimpse of Katie watching them from afar.

"Seriously? _Seriously? _Oh my _Goddess _I have the best boyfriend _ever!_"

Instead of the sheepish grin and bashful head-rubbing that might usually follow, Carl took it upon himself – not without a beat red face, however - to swoop in and plant a kiss on Sacchun's unsuspecting lips.

Initially disarmed, Sacchun groped around her mind for words. Warmly, she placed her hand over Carl's, and said, "Thank you". Squeezing his hand slightly, she tried to emphasize that she wasn't simply thanking him for the tickets, but so much more – and hoped that, despite being unable to word it, he could feel it as she clasped his hand in hers.

# # #

"Well, it makes you look a bit more, uh, _hardcore?_"

"It should be gone by now."

"Dude, it's not a big deal."

"_It should be gone by now!_"

Joe looked over Lloyd's shoulder skeptically as the two stared into the full-length mirror in front of them.

"If you _want, _why not just borrow some of Dia's make-up and blacken the other eye so it'll match? …Or go kick a puppy in front of Gwen?"

Joe's suggestion was met only with daggers from the eyes of his best friend. One of which was still in the process of recovering from the recent assault visited upon it by a blonde-haired animal lover.

"…I don't want _two _black eyes."

"Just to be symmetrical, at least!"

Slumping his shoulders and feeling slightly overdue resentment for Gwen, Lloyd walked over to his bed and checked over the clothes he had laid out for the concert that night.

"No one will notice anyway! It'll be dark out and concert-goers love to look… _eccentric!" _Joe reasoned, spotting Lloyd's worrying eyes.

"But what if she _sees _me?" he cried.

"Okay, dude? Just gotta say, I think I liked you better when you were still in the closet about this whole Pop Idol fanboy thing."

Ignoring Joe and smoothing out the wrinkles on his favourite Lanna t-shirt for what was likely the twentieth time that day, Lloyd continued to mumble to himself worriedly. His bandana-wearing companion, deciding his breath was being wasted, rolled his eyes and headed towards the living room, leaving Lloyd to his primping.

After flipping the shirt over (in an attempt to keep the front from wrinkling again), a flashing light caught his eye and Lloyd realized his cellphone had been lying underneath the clothing, silently signaling the three missed messages Lloyd had gotten since he last checked his phone.

The first one, after inspecting it, seemed to be from Karen.

_Oh right. Karen. _

It had come as enough of a shock that Cliff and Karen were related – Karen's mother, Sasha, had an older brother in the next city over, and as it turned out their first-born child was the very same Cliff that had moved up to _their _city, essentially making them cousins. Then, as the fates would have it, she ended up being _the very cousin _that needed someone to go to the Lanna concert with, resulting in Cliff's offer to find someone to go with her. The term 'small world' barely began to describe it.

"_But… why not ask Popuri or Kai or someone? Surely the great Karen Lucine hasn't fallen so hard that she's got to have her cousin playing wingman," Gwen had remarked snidely in Barley's veterinary clinic after Karen had stumbled in past the bead curtain._

_Eyes narrowing into a familiar glare reserved only for her once archrival, Karen retorted, "If you _must _know, Kai and Popuri _are _going, but it's more of a date for them. I had two extra tickets after winning that radio giveaway, so I thought I'd ask my _darling _cousin to attend with me," she paused to place her hands on her hips and turn on her heel to face Cliff, "But, as you've witnessed, he seemed to be in quite the… _rush _to get rid of them." Cliff shrunk under Karen's gaze, despite his determined attempts to avoid eye contact._

"_I can forgive him though, this time. I mean, who would have thought it'd mean I get to go with Lloyd?" the blonde gave Lloyd a hearty wink and added, with more than a hint of flirting, "Saves me the trouble of working up the courage to ask you on another date!" _

_Faking a chuckle, Lloyd looked uncomfortably at Gwen, who, from the look on her face, seemed to be envisioning the same thing Lloyd was: a relapse of the events on Valentines' Day._

_None of them were in any hurry to repeat the incident._

That was how, in the end, Gwen decided to back out of the concert plans, and Karen had entered them, using her two extra tickets to take Lloyd and (against his better judgment) Joe. Being the ever-confused teenaged boy that he was, Lloyd wasn't sure how he felt about this progression. On one hand, the idea of Gwen not only _speaking _to him again, but willing to attend a concert with him, was something out of a dream. As much as he had avoided her in the past few months, it became clear the instant they were on speaking terms again that he had craved it desperately.

Then, on the other hand, he realized he was now going with _Karen, _who, for all her flaws, had proven to be not just a friend, but a _good _one. He wasn't quite sure what to make of her advances – while he reveled in the novelty of being _pursued _by someone as socially revered as Karen, he was having a hard time distinguishing any _actual _feelings he might have for her with natural feelings brought about by hormones and, well, being a teenager. A teenager about to go on a date with the hottest girl in school.

Then, whenever he was in danger of thinking too much about his girl situation, he remembered that in a few short hours he'd be seeing _Lanna Royce _live. Somehow, this managed to muscle out any extraneous thoughts of girl drama.

Karen's text had been simple:

_SO PUMPED. Bring money for merch! AHHH CAN'T WAIT!_

Of course, there was no doubt that Lloyd would be buying whatever he could get ahold of – and he may or may not have been planning to swipe his and Joe's rainy day fund to do so. Rather than feel bad about this, he reminded himself that Joe himself had dipped into it on more than one occasion in order to solve his one of his "pizza emergencies."

The second text message was from none other than Gwen.

_Have fun tonight, cutie! Don't let that succubus have her way with you! And don't feel bad about the whole mix up, lol. C ya Monday!_

The message continued onto a second page:

_OHGODDESS AND SORRY ABOUT THE BLACK EYE THING TOO. SORRYSORRYSORRY_

Lloyd couldn't help but wonder where she was as she sent those two messages. Was Gwen sitting at home, waiting by the TV for the live footage? Or was she working and taking a quick break in the backroom of Doug's Place? It _was _a Friday night, there was a good chance she was out with Eve, or Bob, or any of her numerous friends…

Somehow, though, he doubted it. Lloyd decided he'd do something to make this up to her. He wasn't exactly sure _what _he was making up, but something about the situation made him feel like Gwen was getting the short end of the stick.

"Dude, I just got a text from Ray," called Joe from the living room, "He wants us to meet up with him 'n Eve outside the hall, and we can all sit together. Sound good?"

"Sure," Lloyd said absently, checking the last of his own texts. The third one, however, was not a text at all – but a missed call.

From _Barley. _

Lloyd's eyes glazed over the name, not fully comprehending what it was telling him, until he remembered.

Oh.

Oh Crap.

Lloyd, Joe, and Sacchun had all been extremely grateful to the elderly man for tending to their animals, and even more so since he had done it for nearly no cost. _Nearly. _

They _had _promised him that they would find some way to repay him, and the old doctor had had a splendid solution for this, that had sounded absolutely perfect at the time: on some days, when he was simply unable to watch her, he'd drop little May off with the three teenagers, who would become her babysitters for the night.

This was apparently to be one of those nights.

Yes, at the _time _this solution had been perfect. It suited the three students, who had virtually no money, it seemed easy, and, though Lloyd was suspecting they must have been delusional at the time, it seemed almost _fun. _The old man _had _set the date up with them, but in all the excitement over the concert, it had slipped their collective minds all together. But he had gone out of his way to watch over their dogs and their puppies, feed them, comfort them, and care for them, and _then _went the extra step of spaying Momo and neutering Ringo. _Free of charge! _There was _no _way for Lloyd to get out of this.

He tore his eyes away from his phone and looked back at his Lanna Royce T-shirt, laying unwrinkled on his bed, and felt his heart breaking. A dozen scenarios played through his head: could he _take _the little tyke to a concert? That would still count as babysitting, right? But then she'd want to go to the bathroom, and get tired, and get bored, and all those other things kids tended to do when faced with the arduous task of sitting patiently through something.

Could he leave her with somebody _else? Gwen _might be free, but somehow the image of showing up on her doorstep with a child in tow and demand that she watch over it while everyone else went to a concert seemed just a _little _tactless.

Maybe Ellen? She was good with _animals, _and when it got down to it, there wasn't a _huge _difference between those and kids. It was all the same in theory, anyway. But no, even that would be asking too much of someone they were barely close with.

They couldn't ask _Cliff. _He wouldn't agree, after knowing first-hand what Barley had done for them.

Hopes quickly depleting, Lloyd blazed through a mental list of all the people they knew in the vicinity, before stopping abruptly on one unlikely couple.

Before he could relish in the good idea, a door bell rang and moments later a yelp escaped Joe's mouth.

"L-Lloyd?" he rushed in, "Did you know _it _was coming over?" Joe was pointing frantically, with both hands, in the direction behind him, and it was clear that May had arrived.

"_Right. _Sorry, Barley called earlier, and… Yeah. We're stuck with her for the night." Lloyd shrugged.

"What? But tonight's the –"

"I know! Relax. Just wait for him to leave and we'll –"

"You'll what?"

The two boys wheeled around. Barley, being one of those human beings with movable limbs and working ears, had made his way over to Lloyd's room, May by his side.

"We'll… Uh… Get started on the super special surprise we had in store for little May!" Joe crouched down and ruffled the girl's ebony hair, earning him a look of skepticism that he forced himself to ignore.

Barley grinned widely, his exceptionally long eyebrows shooting up his forehead. "Seems like you're in for a fun night, m'dear!"

May looked mostly unconvinced, and rightly so, with what Lloyd had in mind.

# # #

Cars were jamming up traffic in typical Friday night fashion as the boys ran along Azure Street, little black haired girl in tow.

"Can we at least _try_ to make this look a little _less _shady?" Joe asked, trying to keep up with Lloyd, who clutched May's hand and seemed to be tearing through the city.

"It's not shady! Just imagine she's an annoying little sibling or something!"

Had May not been so out of breath, she probably would have had a pointed remark to insert at this point.

"Where are we _taking _her, again?"

Lloyd hadn't had time to fully divulge the details of his plan, because with this setback, minutes counted if they were going to take care of things in time for the concert.

"We're almost there!"

Moments later, they had reached their destination. _Spin Station._

"The Record store?" Joe asked.

"The Record store… that _Dia _works at." Lloyd corrected. And Joe was starting to see why they had come out to this neck of the woods. A glance at May, a glance at Lloyd, a nod from him, and everything fell into place. They were passing the buck to Dia, and in this case, the buck was May.

"Welcome to Spin Station, how can I help – uh, _you?_" Dia looked up from the counter of the cramped record store, clearly suffering from a slow night, to find Joe and Lloyd and a strange child with them. Well, it wasn't the _child _itself that was strange, it was that it was in the company and apparent supervision of those two.

"Dia! How's it going?" Lloyd decided to lay on the enthusiasm, "Jeez, I don't think I've visited you at work before. Nice place!"

It was sort of the truth. The store was small, made up mainly of two aisles and shelves upon shelves of vinyl records. The walls were not visible behind the posters, cover art, and haphazardly pasted promotional flyers. A single life-sized cut-out stood by the counter, of none other than Lanna Royce, and Lloyd found it hard not to eye it while he spoke to Dia.

"Quaint, isn't it? But what can I do for you two?" she wore a look of mild apprehension, like an animal about to move to higher ground to avoid a tsunami. "You're not here for records, I don't think."

They weren't.

"We've got a favour to ask you, and we're totally willing to make it worth your while."

Her green eyes fell on May and grew even more apprehensive. "Look, if it's anything that will get me in trouble, or fired, or – or arrested, then forget it. You guys are great, but… not _that _great."

"You _wound _me," Joe said with a flourish, "Your very own sort-of-brother-in-law! How could you."

Dia lifted her eyebrow unapologetically.

"Things are slow tonight, right?" Lloyd gestured around, "You're not really up to anything. I mean, you look bored out of your mind."

"True…" She conceded, but then threw them a reproachful look, "But I'd rather be bored than be in jail!"

"_What on Earth do you think we're about to ask of you?"_

"Shh, Joe! And you've got this awful shift all night, right?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "Until eleven. I'm covering for a coworker."

"Perfect. _So. _What if I were to offer you some… entertainment, for the remainder of your night? Absolutely free of charge?"

Her eyes were once again on May, who was picking up glittery guitar picks and placing them over her fingers like oversized fake nails.

"Entertainment." She repeated dully, "_That's _how you're going to sell this to me, Lloyd? Really? How about you start by explaining who this kid _is _and _why _she's under your supervision to begin with?"

And so they explained just that.

"No." was the first word out of Dia's mouth as soon as they stopped talking. "You've got to be kidding me. You need a babysitter and the first person you come to is _me?_" She waved a hand from her head to her torso, emphasizing all the points that made their choice in babysitter so very questionable. Piercings, eyeshadow, dark lipstick, dark clothing, a mouth whose corners had forgotten how to rise. _So very questionable. _

"But you've got such a motherly glow to you!"

Dia turned her eyes so sharply on Joe they could have left gashes on his skin.

"I mean, _kinda…_"

Lloyd had figured that if _Kurt _were around, they might have had a better chance. He was usually better with kids, for all of his antisocial ways, and Joe could've pulled out some incident that occurred when they were kids and called in some long-forgotten favour from his brother. That was how things _usually _went when he wanted something, anyway.

Which begged the question, why hadn't they just gone to Kurt?

"Do you think Kurt would be free tonight?" Lloyd asked, voice straining as he caught a glimpse of the clock. Would there be enough _time _to get to Kurt, then to the other end of town for the concert?

Dia sighed, her mouth tensing into an all too familiar scowl. "Yes, he _should _be. We had a plan for a date tonight, but I was called in at the last minute for this shift, and…" she ended the sentence with an odd jerk of the head, as if to say she had no desire to talk about it. Something in her demeanor suggested this wasn't the first time this had come up.

Then, under the static gaze of Cardboard Lanna's eyes, inspiration struck like a sack of bricks. Lloyd glanced at May – now wrapping a collector's towel around her waist like a skirt – then at Lanna, then at Dia, and decided it would all be worth it.

"Why don't I throw in something else?"

Dia looked back at him, her expression one of _minimal _interest.

"I've got two gift cards to the Paradise Orchard, I got them from a friend." He was, of course, referring to the prize Karen had received from the Cooking Contest and then pushed onto him, "Two full course meals at a classy restaurant. Just the two of you."

Lloyd gave Dia a moment to exchange her expression of _minimal _interest to one of _considerable _interest.

"I… wow. You must _really _want to get this kid off your back, huh?"

"I've got… plans tonight. Plans I _really, really _don't want to miss."

"Lloyd's got a _very _special lady waitin' for him," Joe chimed in.

There was no point trying to be altruistic at this point. '_This, my friends,' _Lloyd thought to no one in particular, '_is what we call a last ditch attempt.' _

Dia took a breath, gave herself a moment to consider all the factors (a date night with Kurt, helping a friend, keeping herself mildly entertained for the night) and figured there was more good being done than harm. "Alright, I'll –"

"_Thanks, Dia, you're the best, see you later tonight, thanks again!"_

And with a flurry of movement and a slam of the door, Spin Station was once again devoid of customers, and Dia was left with the pint-sized girl whose name she hadn't even caught.

The girl in question was now poking at the tail of the limp stuffed cat on the countertop. "Wow, lady, you're _real _easy. You should have at least asked for like, a bajillion pieces of candy or somethin'."

Yes. Yes, she would have to do that. Next time she saw Lloyd, she would _so _get her bajillion pieces of candy.

# # #

"_You _own a Lanna Royce CD?"

Holding the case in her hands, the blonde twisted her head around to give her companion an incredulous gawk.

"… Shut up! And stop looking at me like that! _Everyone _listened to Lanna a few years ago. It's like, part of the initiation rite to teenage life." Lucy replied, standing on the couch. She fastened a garish red speaker to the wall, then hopped down.

Meg let out a laugh that sounded more like a throaty grunt. "I suppose that _is _true. Even I had all her albums in eighth grade, too."

She felt a sudden pang of pain in her stomach as she realized that that statement wasn't _entirely _true. _She _hadn't had all of Lanna's albums – _they _had. She and that girl. That girl that she avoided thinking about at all costs, if only to keep her own sanity in check. Yet as she clutched the album in her hands, her knuckles whitened and she felt the oncoming torrent of memories. It was like opening a floodgate and struggling to close it as the water gushed out in violent surges.

There was a clatter as the jewel case fell to the ground and the CD slid out, spinning on the ground like lost change.

"Be careful with those, man. Well, I don't give a damn about _that _one in particular, but – Meg? Uh.. You okay?"

Meg's back was to Lucy. "… Yeah, um. Yeah. It's alright. I'm fine." She dove down to her knees, her blonde hair following in a cascade, and scooped up the CD before it had fully stopped spinning. "My bad, Luce."

She grabbed the case with her other hand and forced the disk in, and tried to close it with little success. Not having any desire to look at Lanna Royce's beaming face off the cover any longer, she pushed down on it with her palm, trying to force it down, but a piece of plastic had been lodged somewhere in its spine and it refused to stay shut.

"Rrgh… Come _on!_" Meg's patience snapped, and with it, the CD case.

"_Whoa there._" Lucy glided over and took the pieces from Meg's white hands. "What the hell? Not that I ever wanted to listen to this shit again, but I don't really need you breaking my stuff, either." She walked over to the garbage can and unceremoniously dropped the shards of plastic into it, half of Lanna's face giving a winning smile for the last time before disappearing into the black. She stuffed the CD into another case, overlapping whatever disk was in there.

"I'm sorry!"

"Whatever."

It was just like Lucy to be contentious, even over things she didn't really care about, and Meg was all too used to it at this point. The girls returned to their task at hand – preparing for the night's party.

"Who do you think's gonna turn up?" Meg asked, struggling to keep her voice even and keep out any unwanted memories.

"Psh, _everyone._"

"I kind of… doubt that? Lanna's concert is tonight, y'know, speaking of the devil." Even lying at the bottom of a garbage bin, Meg could feel that glittering smile burned into her vision.

"Whatever. What kind of loser would go to a _Lanna Royce _concert when they could come to a _Lucy Clifford _party?"

Meg decided not to answer this query.

"I've made it pretty public," Lucy said idly, tightening some bulbs in a string of holiday lights, "But the usual crowd'll be here too. I know _Dan's _coming, along with his freshly picked belle of the ball."

"Fan_tastic,_" The other girl made no attempt at masking her contempt, "Who's his newest little friend again?"

"You know. That bitch. _Katie_." Lucy spat the name out like it was lethal to let it even linger in her mouth.

"Your once-upon-a-time-in-a-magical-fairy-land-best-friend, Katie?"

Lucy grunted neutrally, but it wasn't a question that needed an answer anyway.

"Surprised you're letting him bring her."

She chucked a bad lightbulb across the room into the garbage bin. "Whatever! I figure we can have some fun with her, get her wasted, get some good blackmail material or something. There's no better party game than pin the sleazy photo on the internet for all to see!"

"When did I start hanging out with the devil again?"

"Hah! You _know _you love it. Tonight'll be bangin'." Plugging in the lights to make sure they worked, Lucy grinned as the tiny flecks of light came to life around her. "So did you pick out the CDs you want on the playlist?"

"I think so."

She walked over to Lucy, sitting on the red couch and looking strangely ethereal in her luminescent bramble of glimmering bulbs. She sat among the stars and looked at Meg with her dark eyes and shining violet hair until the blonde, dull and pale and clumsy, approached her and lay a stack of CDs down in front of her.

"Nice, nice…" She shuffled through them, "Ha! This one brings me back!"

"Nostalgic, isn't it?"

"Old as shit, you mean," Lucy waved the case around, "But I like it. It'll be a blast from the past."

Meg wasn't entirely sure why, but most of the music she had chosen was at least a few years old. On the surface, she just thought it'd be fun to dance to the kind of songs she and her friends had grown up listening to, the kinds of songs that everyone knew the words to, simply from having been a child in that era and being constantly exposed to it. They'd be tacky, but fun.

But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she had chosen the CDs _they _had bought together. The ones _they _would put on every evening, either to dance to, or for Meg to try and learn on her violin – despite cheesy pop songs translating horribly to string instruments – or to simply play in the background while they stayed up late into the night talking. The ones they would put their meager allowance together to pick up.

The ones she, whether fully aware of it or not, cherished.

"Y'know what, why don't we put in that Lanna CD anyway? If we're going for an _oldies _theme anyway, why the hell not?"

"_Oldies _is a bit extreme, Luce. These are only from like, seventh or eighth grade!"

"Which was like, fifty years ago, as far as I'm concerned." She scoffed.

Meg got up to go get it, sitting together doubled up in another disc's case.

"What was that album called, anyway? It was her second or third one, I think, right?"

"_As Long As We Try,_" Meg replied automatically, before even reaching the pile of discs on the other side of the room.

"What?"

"That's what it was called. _As Long As We Try._"

There was a pregnant pause, and Meg knew what Lucy was thinking. '_What the hell kind of title is _that_? This coming from the same chick who came up with 'You Hooked My Heart With your Copper Rod'?' _

"… Huh." Was all she said, with a bit of a stifled yawn. "Didn't think she could come up with anything cheesier than '_You Turn My Heart to (Yam) Pudding'. _Whatever, let's put it on."

Meg felt inclined to disagree.

She quite liked the title.


	56. As Long as We Try : Part 2

**/Author's Note: **Let me get this out of the way first – if you've been following the HH Tumblr (Link's on my profile!), you'll know that this chapter and the next are both, in fact, done. Yes, I ended up splitting it again, but only 'cause it was nearing 30,000 words in total _and _I came upon a really tempting (and, I guess, slightly cliffhanger-y) spot to cut it off at. Anyway! What does this mean? Well, Chapter 56 will be along in just a few days! I'd upload it all at once, but this finale is really probably best absorbed in pieces.

But yes, this is absolutely the beginning of the end. Season 2 is coming to a close, and it _will _go out with a bang. I'm not one – _ever – _to toot my own horn, but I did spend a painstakingly long time on this chapter (as you can all attest, I'm sure), and if only to ensure that you get the most out of it, I'd just like to remind everyone that _everything anyone says or does is something they do for a reason. _There are nuances, and despite some ambiguity, everyone's motives can be explored and dissected. So… Yay! _And… _unfortunately, given how long it takes me to get a chapter out these days, the effect of foreshadowing is kind of weakened, but there are a lot of things that were foreshadowed to a _long _time ago, so bonus cookies (waffles?) to whoever picks up on those.

As always, enjoy the chapter, and more than ever, I'm curious to know what you think, so leave me some of your thoughts! I'll see you all in a few days (yes, really), with Chapter 56 and the absolute, final, finale. **End Author's Note/**

* * *

Chapter 55 – As Long as We Try : Part 2

"What made you want to perform _these _songs again?"

The condescending tone was customary, of course. Earlier in the singer's career, the words would have permeated her skin like a cold deluge, but tonight they barely fazed her.

"Your latest album charted much higher, and it could use the promotion if we're going to seriously consider a second printing…" Her manager, looking unsettled behind his glasses, told her the evening of the Flowerbud concert. In only a few hours, Lanna Royce would be shuttled up to the stage, eyes blinded by stage lights and ears deafened by the roaring crowd – a routine she was all too familiar with. Still, no amount of familiarity could quell the pounding of her heart that night.

"Come on, Elliot. In a few hours we're going to be performing in front of a city that was essentially built around the founding of a _high school_. Who do you think's going to be there?"

When Elliot's only answer was a furrow of the eyebrows, Lanna pressed on with a roll of her hands, "Teenagers! Sixteen to seventeen year old _teenagers_! Specifically, sixteen to seventeen year old _teenagers_ who grew up listening to _this_ album!"

Raking his ginger hair and giving the floor a downcast look, Elliot mumbled, "We can't let people _cling _to the old you, Lanna." His voice fortified as he went on, "Staying fresh in this industry means reinvention, reminding the public that you've still got it! Not… relying solely on classics! The term 'One Hit Wonder' was coined for a reason, you know."

"Is _that _what you think I am?"

"…No! But it's not… outside the realm of… possibility…" his words melted as they reached the other side of the dressing room, like ice being flung into a fireplace.

"I want to show these guys a fun night, El. I want them to, above all, leave the hall with a smile so wide they can't feel their jaws."

Sighing and removing his glasses, Elliot massaged the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Just _being _there will make them happy, Lanna. You could get up there and sing the alphabet and the crowd would be in tears."

"I _know _that!" Lanna was all too used to it – the gleeful tears, the screaming fans, the way a flash of her smile could make a crowd erupt in cheers - "But… you can't deny the power of nostalgia. It's something really, really special, El. To give these guys a night of reminiscence, of youth, of _fun _– don't you think that's just a bit more important?"

"They're just _teenagers_. You said it yourself. What are _they _going to get out of any of that?"

Lanna wheeled her chair around to face the mirror in front of her, adjusting her honeyed strands of hair. "You've been my manager for_ever, _Elliot. Even _you _know this," she found his eyes in the reflection of the mirror and made sure the contact was unbroken, "Being a teenager can be _hard._"

# # #

"B-but, Baby, my… guh… shoulders…"

"You can do it! Just pretend you're lifting a stack of pies at the café or somethin'!"

"I don't think I've ever… ugh… Stacked… pies… over my shoulders…"

"Come on, Sacchun, give him a break! Get down from there!"

"But I'm _short, _Joe! Short people need all the help they can get! Are you volunteering _your _shoulders?"

"Hell no!"

Karen was doubling over from laughter at the sight of Sacchun hoisted up on Carl's shoulders, weighing the boy down and cutting his (already pint-sized) stature down by a third. Lloyd stood with her, hardly able to keep still, his very skin buzzing with anticipation. Karen's buzzed too, but with the familiar tinge of inebriation that she was all too familiar with.

Throughout Riversong Hall, the crowd swelled, and with each group of fans entering the vicinity the excitement swelled with it. The air was alive, every particle vibrated with energy. Even those who were only here to accompany others (Ray,), or who had been dragged against their will (Joe,) were clearly having a time of it trying to stymie the buzz. Eve stood with Ray, hands clasped together tightly, and Popuri and Kai were closer to the stage, Popuri's bobbing pink head being the occasional indicator of where they were. Joe was, unfortunately, left hovering between all the couples.

Hues of blue were still visible in the sky, but the black of night seemed determined to push it out of sight. The moon had been around since mid-day, nearly full, hanging lazily in the sky and peering down with mild interest at the cluster of energy congregating in the hall. It provided its own wide-reaching spotlight, encouraging Lanna Royce to make her appearance.

It was what they were all waiting for now.

"Can we _leave _yet?" Joe asked, with all the mannerisms of a four year old.

"What, are you missing a new cycle of _Mineral Town's Top Model?_" teased Lloyd.

"_Dude!" _Joe was affronted, doubly so when everyone else joined in the laughter.

Slinging an arm around Joe's neck, Eve pulled herself over to them and told him, "Y'know, sugar, I've got the whole _boxset, _and if you're _that _big a fan, we should make a day of it! I can paint your toenails and braid your hair!"

"I will _murder_ the lot of you. Without any regrets."

There may or may not have been more laughter, but any sounds made by people in the hall were suddenly inaudible as the speakers came to life and emitted a wave of sound. It sounded like an airplane passing very close overhead, and as it soared from the stage to the end of the hall, the audience went silent with shock and anticipation. Then, with a snap, the lights died and darkness took over, and screams went up into the sky like ash escaping a bonfire.

"_It's time it's time it's time it's time it's time –"_

"_LAAAAA-NNAAAAAAA!" _

"_Ohmigoddess, Ray, hold me, HOLD ME. YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE I DON'T PASS OUT, DAMMIT, HOLD ME!"_

Sounds came from the stage, a whole confusion of them. They heard what sounded like a march, feet stomping in perfect rhythm, then as that faded out, the sound of whips being cracked was heard, and then the banging of drums, the chiming of bells, the blaring of sirens. The cacophony came to a sudden end, and turquoise lights flooded the stage. In a haze of aqua smoke, a dark figure appeared, one hand in the air, fingers wrapped around what had to be a microphone.

The screams died in an instant, as if someone had switched off the volume on the crowd's vocal cords. She stood like a statue, her fist unmoving above her. She could as well have _been _a statue, for all they knew – the smoke billowed around her in an eddy, blurring her into a bluish silhouette.

Every pair of eyes in the hall were trained on her, on that fist that clutched the microphone. Slowly, she lowered her hand, and every eye followed it, as if she held everyone's pupils on an invisible leash. When finally, after what felt like a solid hour, the microphone was level with her lips, that glistened faintly behind all the smoke, Lanna Royce's voice rung out into the crowd with such clarity, cutting into reality itself, cleaving into the minds of every being present:

"_You can hear it, can't you?_"

She paused, and took a step.

"_I'm glad you came."_

She took another step.

"_I've waited so long. I've been waiting here… to tell you something."_

Step. Step.

"_We come here to celebrate. We come here to sing. We come here to live."_

Step. Step.

"_And just what are we celebrating?"_

Step.

"_What are we singing out?"_

Step.

"_What are we living for?"_

The question left the lips of the spectral figure in the smoke, hung in the air, and lingered, as if expecting an answer – and yet not a single pair of lips in the crowd parted to let out any form of sound. The silence was more absolute and more oppressive than any sound that could have come from the speakers. Time itself came to a halt, as if some cosmic cameraman had hit pause and was waiting for Lanna's cue to hit record again. She had the power to suspend this moment for all eternity, if she so wished.

Time was up. Light flooded the stage and the dazzling figure of Lanna Royce stood there in all its glory, eyes like moonpools reflecting the waxing moon that stared down so fiercely, as if inching itself closer in desperation.

_"Tonight, boys and girls, is when we find out."_

_ And _Riversong Hall exploded.

# # #

Everything sounded distant and muffled after climbing the stairs out of the basement and reaching the ground floor. Meg took a moment to lean against the wall and press her palm to her forehead, giving it a few moments to let the internal pounding ebb. The music was loud enough to feel within one's skull, so Meg wasn't about to complain when Lucy asked her to answer the door. The party queen herself was busy with playing hostess, which mostly entailed making sure everyone had a can of soda, or a can of_ alleged_ soda, in their hands.

The doorbell to Lucy's almost-mansion rang again, fancy and elaborate, sending ripples of pain through her head. The blonde headed to the door and wrenched it open, the blurry figures behind the frosted glass turning into none other than two of her ex-classmates. Who _were _they again? One was a girl, with a tall blonde ponytail and a face with fox-like features. The other was big and vaguely square shaped – She knew who they _were, _but it had been so long since she had been back, that their names escaped her.

"Hey," she moved aside to let them in, but the blonde and her bodybuilder lingered for a moment, staring at her in obvious fascination. Meg kept herself from meeting their eyes. The girl with the ponytail's mouth had been open, and she looked like she had just been in mid-argument with her friend when the door opened. Closing it and settling for an expression of mild annoyance, she grunted a 'thanks' and walked in, taking strides long enough that her clumsy companion had to gambol after her.

_Lloyd _had a crush on that one, Meg suddenly remembered, watching the blonde's ponytail swivel from side to side. _There _was a boy she hadn't thought of in a while – or at least, that's what she'd have _liked_ to be the truth. In actuality, Lloyd was a boy who, among many others, she pushed with all her might out of her mind whenever possible. _What was her name? Was it Gwen? Yes, Gwen! And the big guy was… Bill? No, No, It was Bob. Definitely Bob. _  
How foreign these names felt, swimming around in her mind for the first time in months. A part of her hadn't expected to see anyone from Flowerbud High again, and yet she should have realized that a party of this scope would end up with more than a few familiar faces cropping up.

"Well, well, look who they sent for the welcoming committee!" drawled yet another familiar voice.

Meg hadn't realized that she was still holding the door open, inviting in both the hot summer air and apparently dark, handsome, sweet-talking men. _Dan. _

"Get in." It sounded more aggressive than it was meant to, so she added, "Lucy's been waiting for you."

Dan let out a barking laugh. "I _bet _she is," he leaned in close, his bottom lip withdrawing into his mouth and returning with a soft popping sound, "But what's she gonna do if I want to spend a little more time with you?"

"Not much, but I'd imagine your girlfriend might have a few choice words with you, if that ends up being the case," Meg still averted his gaze, but saw out of the corner of her eye familiar orange ringlets bouncing up and down further down the path.

"Dan! Nina and I found parking, it's just around the corner." Katie called as she bounded towards the door. Nina followed behind cheerlessly, stuffing car keys in her clutch purse. She wore on her face a look that plainly read, '_I'm the Designated Driver. Shoot me.'_

Dan stepped aside and bowed them in in a gesture of over-the-top etiquette. Katie's eyes met Meg's for a moment and she greeted her with a small 'Hi, how's it going?' and opened her mouth with the intention of continuing, but apparently decided against it. It was another instance that solidified Meg's feeling of just how different her world was now to the one she lived in a few months ago – that day in the ramen restaurant, that conversation in which she had been so candid, in which Katie had given her advice, to the best of her ability.

Her words came back almost immediately, piercing whatever shields Meg had put up against memories of her former life, like scissors cutting cleanly through paper.

"_And this would be the… The path down to the Bog of Bitterness. Yep, the Bog of Bitterness. You'll notice the path here is the shortest, because it's the easiest to turn towards. If you don't have the energy, don't have the drive to take the other two, longer yet more fulfilling paths, the weary traveler ends up down there. It's barren there, it's bleak there – it's where you end up when the path thus far has simply drained you of the energy to even care about where you end up."_

Meg would have grinned if her mouth didn't feel so lifeless. She nodded at Katie, mumbled a few words, and thought to herself, '_Well, look where I ended up, Katie! Right down there in your Bog of Bitterness, right where you were so certain I'd never be.' _There was a grim satisfaction to this revelation. As if Katie was thinking the same thing, she lowered her eyes and gave the blonde a small smile, the corners of her mouth tugged on by an emotion Meg could read all too easily: sympathy. She walked forward, Nina behind her, and Dan finally followed suite, giving Meg an all-too visible wink underneath his ebony hair. Of all the people, she hadn't quite expected Katie to make the party. Popular though she was, she and Lucy had been best friends once upon a time, and that friendship hadn't exactly ended on a positive note. There was something in Katie's posture as she walked away that suggested she might be anticipating the animosity – Lucy's grudges were of the long-lasting variety. As Meg watched Lucy's former best friend, she couldn't help but wonder if she might ever be in her shoes.

She looked out into the empty street, illuminated by streetlights that never flickered, shaded by towering trees, each belonging to a different villa. The scene was bathed in a glow given off by the moon, bringing colour to the night around her. And all she wanted to do was run into it. Run into the street, and into the wind, and disappear into the moonlight.

But against her will, Meg shut the door and turned her back on the night. She summoned her quickly depleting energy and lowered herself into the jaws of the party, the smell of the alcohol and the pounding of the music swallowing her limb by limb.

# # #

The trap door descended underneath Lanna, dragging her out of the audience's sight, just as the sixth song came to an end. As If turning the a knob down on a stereo, the crowd's various sounds became more and more muffled as she was submerged under the stage. She spread her arms out on instinct and soon a gaggle of staff members were on her like birds landing on the limbs of an outstretched tree. Clothing was torn off and microphones were replaced and a straw was held up to her lips allowing her to drink from the bottle being held by none other than her manager, Elliot.

"Amazing, as usual," he told her, eyes dead set on hers. He was used to, at this point, her near-nudity during every costume change, but he still never let his line of sight cross her jawline. The ravenous birds around her murmured their agreement and other general praise.

"Night's still young!" Lanna replied. She hardly fidgeted as her staff fitted the next outfit on her, but felt a rogue bead of sweat escaping her hairline and felt the overwhelming urge to wipe it off. As if sensing her thoughts, Elliot extended a hand to do just that.

"That's what _worries _me."

"Come again?" A stylist attacked her lips with gloss and she forced them shut.

"I know you've been feeling… _creative, _lately, but can we try and have this night go off without any incidents?"

Lanna's only response was to roll her eyes, which was convenient since they were all she could move at the moment. Perform _this _song at _this _time, walk to _that _end of the stage, wave at _that _portion of the audience, walk back over _there, _join the dance number on _that _beat, change costumes after _this _many songs, allow yourself _this _many drops of water, let yourself breathe for only _this _long…

Any deviations from this were what Elliot referred to as 'incidents', even if they had no negative impact whatsoever. '_And they really didn't, in most cases!'_ She thought defiantly. '_Sure, I probably shouldn't have pulled that old woman up on stage when she was just there to accompany her daughter, and _sure _I probably shouldn't have screamed and stomped on that man's hand when he was only reaching out to give me a high-five and _maybe _I shouldn't have dove into the crowd when no one was expecting a stage-dive that one time, but _jeez! _Elliot needs to stop living in the _past!'

So the press might refer to her as 'reckless'. 'Impulsive'. 'Publicity-seeking'. _'Whatever,' _Lanna thought, being unable to answer Elliot properly before it was time for her to launch back up on the stage, 'I _just think it makes me more interesting.' _

# # #

The basement, unnaturally large though it was, seemed even bigger when holding so many people. There was no doubt that Lucy had gotten the job done of getting the word out, for Meg would believe it if nearly every teen in the vicinity was currently in this basement. It certainly felt like it; she had scoured the crowd and found even more familiar faces. Blue had joined Bob and Gwen, all sitting on a couch and partaking in very little conversation. Gwen had her arms crossed and was avoiding any eye contact sent her way, so Bob conversed feebly with Blue who looked far more interested in the soda can he was drinking from.

Unsurprisingly, Dan had stamped his ticket to drunk-ville and was already halfway there, his barista belle in tow. He had greeted Lucy when he arrived, though Katie kept a considerable distance, and since then the two of them had taken to the center of the room and danced with no intention of stopping. Surrounding them were a pack of onlookers, teenaged girls with their eyes on Dan, and teenaged boys with their eyes on Katie. It was truly something being the 'It' couple at a party. Nina kept close, but between her sobriety and lack of any attention being sent her way, her expression looked a bit sour.

Katie looked like she was having the time of her life. Meg wondered idly if she had ever smiled that much when she was with Joe – they certainly seemed happy enough, and Katie had said as much, but Meg always thought there was something oddly mismatched about them. Still, Joe had genuinely loved her at one point, and Katie gushed endlessly about their puppies-and-rainbows relationship. '_Yet,'_ Meg thought, as she watched Dan sidle over to another girl and purr in her ear while Katie was looking away, '_perhaps this is the man she wanted all along.' _  
The vacuous-looking girl giggled and let the sleeve of her black mesh top slip down her shoulder, but in the next second Dan was back to holding Katie around the waist, their eyes locked in on one another's again. She continued to watch wryly as the girl's face went from mildly surprised, to hurt, to angry, and soon it disappeared in the wave of faces that beset the sea of people.

Another familiar face arrived. And quite literally: everything about this girl that Meg had remembered had changed, save for her face. She took timid steps down the stairs into the basement, holding a purse in such an awkward fashion that it was plain the object was foreign to her hands. Her ruddy hair ran down her head in layers, and a barrette had been clumsily applied to keep it out of her pale blue eyes. The summer dress she wore – an attractive shade of lilac – looked just as awkward on her, being about a half-size too big, necessitating that she hiked it up every few minutes. Patting her hair down in a last-minute act of primping that she thought no one would see, she put on a nervous smile and walked into the crowd.

_Ann. _The name came back to her abruptly. For some reason – though it probably should not have – it fazed Meg that the girl had changed so much. It was an unfortunate reminder that while she was holed up here, living behind the walls of Lucy's castle, safe from the world, time was ticking on without her, and things would change whether she accepted them or not.

She wrapped her arms around herself, tightly, clutching onto the frail body that felt like her sole chain left to the world.

"Ann!" Katie called, waving her over, "I almost thought you weren't gonna make it!" Her bolstered enthusiasm caused her to wrap an arm around Anne's waist and pull her over. The redhead looked mildly surprised and smiled toothily.

"Ah, yeah, it took me a lil' while to find the place, I haven't really been up here too much…" she looked around the basement, large enough to house a family of its own, and then some. "Hey, so… Where can I get one of those?" she pointed to the red cup in Katie's hands.

"Hahaha! That's more like it!" Katie laughed cheerfully, "_This _one over here refuses to drink!" She gestured to Nina.

"Because I'm driving your drunk ass home!" she shrilled in response.

"Yeah, yeah, whateva', c'mon, Ann, let's get you nice 'n trashed."

Ann looked relieved. She was eager to let the night melt away around her after a few drinks. And if more than a few of her insecurities went with it, then all the better.

Taking Ann's hand, Katie lead her to the table Lucy had stacked with alcohol. Dan took notice and was more than happy to give his feet a rest for a moment while his eyes danced all over Ann's body.

"_Damn. _Ann, who would've thought, huh? Turns out you look totally plowable without your mountain boots and farm jacket."

Blushing and holding her dress up again, Ann was torn between thanking him and telling him off for Katie's sake, but she got there first.

"Yeah, she's hot and all, but I don't think your eyes go with her ass, so you should probably unglue them right about now."

Dan just emitted a bark-like laugh and a few of the guys around him _Ooooh'd _in amusement.

"I wasn't even sure if that one was really a chick," one of them remarked loudly, and Katie steered Ann away.

"Ignore them," she said airily, but Ann found it easier to pretend she hadn't heard a thing.

"Ignore what?"

"Nothing. Here!" Katie let go of her hand at the drink table and poured her a rum & coke, with a very generous helping of rum. She refilled her own cup, most of its contents having sloshed out onto the floor while dancing, and they gave each other cheers.

"Thanks," Ann grinned, and Katie gave her a familiar cat-like smile, until it became apparent that there were people staring, and worse, muttering.

"_Isn't she the one…? What's her name, Fran?"_

"_Are she and Katie…?" _

"_Didn't you hear what happened at Gwen's party? At New Years?"_

"_Shhhh! Oh my Goddess, you're hilarious, can't you keep your mouth shut when they're_ right _there?!"_

With a jerk of her hand, Ann downed her cup in one gulp.

# # #

A singular rhythm coursed through the veins of every body at Riversong Hall, electrifying limbs into motion. Lanna sang, her band serenaded, back-up singers harmonized, dancers whirled, and the crowd became a singular being, lost in the oncoming waves of music.

Lloyd and Karen cheered at the top of their lungs, Sacchun fist-pumped with Carl following meekly, Ray held Eve around her waist as she sang along, and Joe reluctantly found himself being swept up in the euphoria.

"I never thought I'd be hearing _this _song live!" cried Karen, "Holy crap, I feel like I'm twelve again!"

"Twelve and tipsy?"

"… It was a formative year!"

"She's totally lip-synching," Joe droned from the other direction.

"Shut up!" retorted Lloyd.

"Well, she _is!_"

"_Shut up!_" retorted nearly everyone in the vicinity.

Something strange was happening on the other end of the group, however. Sacchun was as rambunctious as the rest, if not _more _so. She jumped higher than anyone else, punched the air harder, and was easily accountable for at least half the noise that filled the hall that night. Yet while Sacchun looked like she had all the energy in the world, Carl stood next to her, looking like he had the least. At the cusp of the evening, he had been just as excited as the rest of them – granted, expressed through his own meek & mild mannerisms – but he had somehow expended his energy come the middle of the concert, while everyone else still had plenty to spare.

Sacchun gave him a generous amount of sideway-glances, and had not been prudent in trying to get him to join in the fun, but he would only indulge for a couple of minutes before seeming to run out of air.

'_He must be… tired,' _Sacchun reasoned, _'This kind of thing totally isn't _his_ kind of thing. Too many people, and screeching, and pushing, and… He's really making an effort here. I need to appreciate that.' _

But uneasiness ate at the rims of her mind, try as she might to ignore it.

The moon hung eerily low that night, watching them all like a colossal eye.

# # #

"Babysitting? _You?!_" Kurt guffaw was loud enough to make May look up from the rock 'n roll magazine she probably should _not _have been reading anyway.

"It's not _that _funny," she spat into the phone.

"Dia… You barely know how to take care of Jinx. And he's not even a _real _pet."

"So _glad_ to have your vote of confidence, my love!"

There was a pause and Dia felt a headache coming on.

"Look, why don't you just come over here and help out?" she turned lightly on her heel, bowed her head and hissed, "_Or better yet, get this brat out of my hair!" _

"_You _made the deal with Lloyd, don't get bent out of shape with _me _about it." When all that could be heard on his end was Dia's seething, he added, "Besides, this might be good for you! You've had such a motherly glow to you lately!" he joked.

"I had _forgotten _you and Joe were _related._" Dia got out through gritted teeth.

"And anyway, I won't be able to do much of anything until I finish studying! I've only gotten through four chapters and I've got five more to go and I'm…"

There was more silence as Dia felt the pounding grow.

"So, I'm sorry. I can try to finish this up quickly, but there's no guarantee –"

"I will roast your flesh over the pits of hell."

"Mm, I always love when you talk dirty."

"Will you _stop _channeling your brother already?!"

She heard Kurt's laughter hang in the air as she pulled the receiver from her ear and hung up on him. The only reason she was doing this was for him, anyway.

'_And he'd better damn appreciate it.'_

# # #

"_No._" Meg said sharply, her answer cutting through the middle of her seducer's sentence like a pair of scissors, "No. Absolutely not."

The older boy looked disappointed, if not a little humiliated, "I thought Lucy said you were easy."

Shock dressed her face for a moment before sliding off like rainwater. She turned her gaze to ice and shot it in his direction before turning on her heel and out of the conversation. Pulling her cardigan around her closely, as if the basement had suddenly become chillier, Meg stalked over to the drinks table to replenish her supply.

_'It's been like this all night,' _she thought drearily, _'I'm sick of it. They make me ill. All of them.'_

She ladled a generous serving of sangria into her cup and took a swig of it. Lucy's parties always came with a serviceable helping of older guys, and most of them seemed intent on preying on the straw-haired blonde. When she had brought this up with Lucy, she laughed and told her it would only take some getting used to, and that she was surprised it didn't happen more often – "You're hot, after all. What other reason do y'need?"

She wasn't hot. In this point in her life, when she was so unclear about so many things about herself, she was quite certain about _that. _Hot girls didn't have untamable hair that spilled down her back like hanging vines. Hot girls didn't look sickly and pale every morning. Hot girls didn't have eyes permanently on the verge of scarlet. Hot girls made the world go round, and she most definitely didn't.

"Hey –"

"_What?!_" Meg spun around and inadvertently whipped the speaker with her blonde vines, _"What _do you want?"

Bob stared down at her, his face screwed up in a look of alarm. "Uh, Hey." His voice was deep and gravelly; a man's timbre misplaced in a teen.

"…Sorry. I'm a little tense." She tried to laugh it off in a way that was noticeably forced and all too awkward.

"Haha, S'no prob. I was just comin' over for a drink and I saw you – uh, gettin' one too."

His square face relaxed into a friendly smile, and Meg relaxed her defenses a smidgen.

"Haven't seen you around school a lot. Heh, I don't think we've ever really spoken, but yer a familiar face, so…" he trailed off.

Meg gave him a small smile. "Bob, right?"

He nodded, his own smile easily tripling her's in size. "Yeah, that's it. I didn't s'pect to see you here," he chuckled, "Do y'often come to these kinda things?" He gestured with his cup around the room, as if expecting to Meg to suddenly realize where she was and scurry off like a mouse in an alley of cats.

The corner of her mouth slackened. "I _live _here." She was pleased to see shock brush his face for an instant.

"Y'mean – this is your – but wait…" She gave the thick-headed boy a few seconds to put it together, "…You're friends with Lucy? And she's lettin' ya live here?"

Meg nodded.

"Wow!" he boomed with laughter, "Sweet, sweet. What made you –"

"I think story time is over." She made little effort to hide her condescension.

"Aw, don't be like that!"

"Don't you have a girlfriend to get back to?" She cocked her head in Gwen's direction.

"Girlfriend…?" Screwing up his face in confusion, Bob burst out a moment later, "Girlfriend! No, not at all. Not even _close._" His laughter boomed, "Goddess, where _have _you been? Gwen 'n I haven't been together fer ages!"

Time had marched on for Bob and Gwen too, it seemed.

"And it's not like I was _hitting _on ya or anything," he gave a skeptical laugh, "I was just tryin'a make conversation. I don't know many people here. Wanna introduce me?"

"You're better off," she let her eyes drop, no longer in the mood to meet his.

Soon he was blathering on about himself, his friends, school life, sports, anything that kept his mouth busy enough. Meg had refilled her cup two more times and with each sip, Bob's voice drifted farther and farther away. Not that she was making any particularly large effort in paying attention to him to begin with.

Bob had no idea that Meg hadn't been in school the past few months, and the topics he brought up were like vultures wrenching memories from the bowels of her mind and snapping them up in plain sight. Things she had tried so hard to suppress: classes, teachers, grades, the trip to Forget-Me-Not. Things that she figured if she just bottled up and forgot about, she could convince herself they never existed to begin with.

_Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up. _

At some point in the conversation, Bob gripped Meg's arm and forced her attention back on him; she had been having a pleasant enough time eyeing the blinking holiday lights strung up on the wall until then.

"You okay? I jus'asked ya a question," his slurred speech was telling of just how long they had been standing by the drinks table, refilling their cups – Meg had had nearly twice as much, since _her_ mouth was not preoccupied with endless gabbing.

"Sor…Sorry. Say it again?"

"I was askin', do y'still talk to yer friend there… that one, that Sach- Sacchun? The Sacchun girl?"

The next breath Meg took was unnaturally icy.

"Bob, I – I haven't been in school recently."

"Wha?"

"I – " she choked on a hiccup and continued, suddenly desperate to explain herself. "I've been, been…"

"Sick?" he tilted his head, made even larger in Meg's eyes by her current state of inebriation.

"Yeah, yes, Bob, that's it. Very sick." Her eyes turned downcast again, but now she was in the mood to talk. She was suddenly thirsty for an ear to listen to her, and she wanted the night to stop so she could have enough _time _to say all the things she wanted to. She didn't care who it was.

"I've seen 'er around a lot, but I never woulda guessed you were _here! _I mean, no one… uh, that is, nobody really said anythin' and everything seemed so, y'know, hunky-dory 'n stuff."

_Stop talking, _Meg croaked internally. _Just stop._

"I hadn't noticed you've been missing!" his booming laughter rang out again, somehow finding the situation hilarious. "Do _they _even know where y'are? Yer friends, I mean. Sach- Sacchy- Sacch_err_n. Wha'ever her name is. 'N Joe, an' that other guy who – that guy who stole Gwenny from me, that guy. Do they know?"

_Shut up, just shut up, you stupid, stupid boy! _

"Y'all were so close an' – well, naw, don't look at me like that, I didn't mean anythin' by it! – I just thought maybe they'd have, I dunno, said somethin' or knew where y'were or…"

_I don't want to hear this. I don't! _

"Buh – But anyway, they're doin' fine, in case you were wonderin', Sach' is bouncin' off the walls like always an' –"

Meg propelled herself forward and put a swift end to Bob's sputtering with a kiss. _Shut up, shut up, for the love of the Goddess, shut up! _she repeated to herself, trying to ignore the inevitable taste of beer and salt and saliva.

They broke apart a moment later, both red in the face.

"Uh…"

"Good kiss," Meg remarked, for lack of any other comment.

Stunned into silence for a moment – exactly the desired effect Meg had being going for – Bob stood there, his already dim facial features slackening into those of a full-blown Neanderthal.

"I… uh… Do y'wanna…" Words not being his forte, Bob took Meg's hand in his own giant one and gave her a questioning look.

Refusing to meet his eyes, she gave him her hand and let him lead her like a lamb to one of the many couches lining the walls.

# # #

Pillars of fire flared upwards, bathing the hall in red light and sending sweltering waves of heat over those closest to the stage. Lanna herself glistened with sweat as she danced, her body nearly luminescent behind the flames, imprinting themselves onto the eyelids of the many that watched her.

The heat was overwhelming. Bodies pressed together in a clamoring attempt to get closer to the star. Whatever breeze the May night had to offer died somewhere above them.

The song ended and segued into an even faster song sprinkled with ear-thumping electro beats, further igniting the crowd's energy.

Except Carl's.

Sacchun's eyes stung from the radiant stage, made only worse by the regular bursts of fire. Before she knew it, tears began to stream, unbeknownst to her, glossing her smiling face.

"Sacchun –" Carl made for her face, fingers outstretched.

Flinching at the touch, Sacchun jerked her head around and was shocked to see the concern in his eyes.

"Carl – What's – "

"Oh! Just, your –"

Karen thrashed about as Lanna made it to the chorus, shouts and cheers renewed. She bumped into Sacchun from the side and sent her into Carl's arms.

"Sorry –" grunted Sacchun.

"No, no, It was –"

Steadying herself, Sacchun took a moment to tune out the noise of the hall and the bodies around them. She looked Carl in the eyes and read everything he was feeling at that very moment. He was not enjoying this in the slightest. His chocolate eyes were big with anxiety and his bottom lip was so red from being chewed on it seemed in danger of bleeding.

_'Well, of course you wouldn't like this,' _she thought, feeling crestfallen, _'You hate crowds. You hate loud music. You hate sweat, and heat, and noise, and excitement, and…' _

It took only an instant, but bitterness pierced her mind like an arrow at point-blank range.

_'But you did this for _me, _can't you be happy – or at least pretend – just for tonight, for me, for _me…_'_

Another elbow to the head from the drunken blonde shook the thoughts from Sacchun's head and she clutched onto Carl's t-shirt, pulling him closer and, in the heat of the moment, pulled him into a passionate kiss. Sacchun clenched her eyes shut but could see the back of her eyelids grow blood red as the pyrotechnics continued up on the stage.

She pushed herself further into his chest, entangling him in her arms, their body heat becoming one in the already scorching hall.

# # #

"That last guy smelled like potato salad…" bemoaned the ten-year old.

"I _know._" Dia rubbed her face tiredly, "But that isn't the kind of thing you can just _say, _no matter how innocent and gosh-darned-cute you decide to be. You nearly cost me a sale! From a faithful customer!"

"Well, he needs'ta spend less time listening to records an' more time takin' his baths…"

Dia could do nothing but groan. It had already been a _much, _much longer night than she was used to, and it had hardly even begun. Meanwhile, Lloyd was off on a _date _or something – he hadn't exactly been clear – and she couldn't even convince _her _boyfriend to drop his studies for an hour or two to come shoulder her burden. After all, what was the point of sharing yourself so intimately with someone if you couldn't share with them your most acute moments of suffering? Especially those that involved looking after straggly ten-year olds?

"So, _May…_" Dia made the conscious decision to, from then on, keep the child in conversations that _she _directed, "What kind of stuff are you, uh… into? You know like… toys, or… candy?" She had a hard enough time talking to her peers, but making conversation with this much of an age gap felt like trying to carve marble with her fingernails.

If May had sensed her discomfort, she didn't show it. "I like animals 'n stuff."

"Like… ponies?" _All kids loved ponies, right? _

"I _love _ponies!" _Apparently, yes._

_Good, good, _Dia thought, and a part of her relaxed, _Ponies are… safe. _So she let the girl ramble on about equines, talking animatedly about how she and her grandfather used to live on a ranch in the countryside teeming with livestock, before her grandpa got "old 'n wrinkly 'n saggy an' stuff" and they had to move into the city and leave the ranch to a relative.

"But I still get to go out there an' see my animals! I'm going down there again in the summer-times. My own pony, Rainbowdust –" Dia managed to pass a gag off as a cough, "- was the prettiest of 'em all, and this summer'll be her wedding to Sparklehoof, _he's _the palomino –"

It went on like this for some time, punctuated only with the occasional customer that Dia had to deal with – and to her pleasure, May seemed too intent on talking about her pastoral adventures to point out any of the customers' flaws, malodorous or otherwise.

"Of course, I like other animals too," she stated matter-of-factly. "What about you, Dia?"

Dropping a few coins into the cash register, Dia turned to May and absently remarked, "Cats, I guess. They're nifty little things."

"Like _thiiis _one?" she trilled, grabbing Jinx off the counter by his paws and giving him a twirl, "I love cats, too!"

"Isn't he a cute one?" smirked Dia.

"It's just too bad you can't ride 'em, like ponies," the girl remarked, "I tried it once when I was real small, while we were cat-sittin', an' gramps said Mrs. Filbert would _never _be our customer again, but I didn't mind 'cause she smelled like mayonnaise anyway…"

Dia enjoyed the alarm that Jinx's polyester face was momentarily stricken with.

May continued to swing the plush cat around, and Dia was kept amused by Jinx's attempts to keep a straight face. It was only after a few more minutes of this that May got dizzy and set him back on the counter.

"He _is _adorable," She told her, gently stroking the area between his eyes and his nose.

"He's certainly… something else."

"Yah-huh. I have a few like him at home, but he's so soft and his eyes're so pretty!"

May continued to fawn over Jinx while Dia ducked beneath the counter to pick up a coin that had slipped through her fingers.

"So," May's youthful voice came from somewhere over the counter, "Does your one talk too?"

Dia's eyes went suddenly very wide.

# # #

The air remained thick with smoke moments after Lanna had vanished.

The main portion of the show had reached its climax, and in a throng of back-up dancers, spastic lights, and billowing towers of smoke, Lanna had made her exit, leaving the crowd to scream at inhuman volumes.

The din was unimaginable. Shouts slowly went from unintelligible cries to boiling down to one word:  
"Encore!".

Soon fists were pumped and feet were stamped to the unified chant, and everyone in the hall who was not sobbing or Joe Daggett were contributing to the growing rumble. The window of sky above them had clouded over from the excess smoke and the hall's lights dazzled in a way that hid the night.

"I could walk out of here, get struck by lightning, and be _absolutely a-okay _with it. Because I finally got to see Lanna Royce. Live." Karen's eyes glazed over, "So this is what Nirvana feels like."

Eve looked flushed, "She is _amazing. _I… just… how is she so amazing?!"

Karen clasped a hand to her chest, "That chorus –"

"- The way she changed up the _arrangement - !_"

"- And then, those vocal runs she did were just – "

"- When she mashed it up with _You Turn My Heart to (Yam) Pudding –"_

_ " – _I _never _thought I'd be hearing that song live! _Ever! – "_

" – I _know! _It's like… it's like witnessing history being made!"

"Yeah, Eve, I'm sure your Uncle will revise his syllabus to include _Lanna Royce _concerts as part of the course material."

"Shut _up, _Joe!" The two girls turned electrifying eyes on him, and a few sputtered responses later, they went back to reliving every moment of the concert orally.

'_If only Gwen could see this…' _thought Lloyd with a grimace, looking between Eve and Karen. Her faithful compatriette, engaging their mutual enemy in a clamor of fangirling. Brought together by a shared love of bubblegum pop music. It took little time for them to join in the roaring chants of '_Encore!'_

# # #

"_Sacchun!_" penetrated the ringing in her ears clearly and absolutely.

The starstruck girl became suddenly aware of the vicegrip around her arm and turned around to Carl. Once both faces were turned towards each other, it became apparent how very red they both were. The water bottle in Sacchun's hand had been completely crushed, unbeknownst to the crusher.

Enthralled in the concert of an international starlet – and then extracting with what may have been the most passionate kiss she had ever gotten out of Carl - had left Sacchun in a state of blissful intoxication.

"I really wanted to –"

Sacchun threw herself around him, ignoring the usually-awkward discrepancy in height between them for once.

"Carl. I love you. Do I say that often enough? Probably not. I _really _love –"

"And I _really, _really love you."

The assertion in Carl's voice was enough to douse Sacchun's. Something about the words he spoke and the way he looked at her weren't quite adding up.

"Carl…?"

They couldn't have been physically closer, yet something in Carl's voice suggested that, in this moment, they were worlds apart.

# # #

The room could have been tumultuous with the noise of the party, or it may have just all been inside Ann Brassen's drunk little head. Socializing had indeed become easier after a healthy injection of alcohol into her bloodstream, but attempting to turn thoughts into speech had become a significant deal harder. She slid down against a wall, clutching her stomach in laughter over a joke told by someone whose face she could barely make out. A few seconds later, she had forgotten the joke, but continued to laugh anyway.

"You're so funny!" It may or may not have been true. Ann was just giddy.

She played with her hair constantly, enjoying the way it fell over her shoulders and tickled her skin in ways it never could have in the tight ponytail she usually kept it in. She had mastered the summer dress by now, knowing how to walk, how to bend, how to sit, with a modicum of elegance. Even when she slipped up, the way eyes brimmed with interest and sailed in her direction made her feel even better. There was something enchanting about being looked at as more than just 'the tomboy'. Ann was sure, now, that reinvention was possible; that she could be whoever she wanted to be.

And who she really wanted to be at the moment was Katie.

Dancing with a flourish – and flaunting the lithe body expected of a cheerleader – Katie had more eyes on her than anyone. Dan, somehow, didn't mind, and was the target of just as many gazes. To Ann - though they hardly even glanced at each other - they looked like the perfect couple: secure, attractive, _alpha_. Her stomach churned with some degree of jealousy at the sight of them.

"So, y'wanna dance?" asked the faceless male standing above her. She turned her head upwards in time to see his mouth break into a smirk.

Her stomach churned again, and she could suddenly taste the foul taste of alcohol lining her mouth. He certainly hadn't been the first to hit on her that night, and as good as it had felt at first, she hadn't actually felt at all inclined to reciprocate.

"Sorry – I'm not –"

He extended a hand, which she figured she'd at least use to hoist herself up off the ground, but once her hand was in his, he pulled her up and onto the dance floor.

"I don't – Dancing isn't really my –"

"Yeah." He said, with no indication that he had actually heard her.

Her body was not _made _for dancing, and she knew it. She lifted her arms and decided to try – liquid courage was running through her body, after all – before realizing that the kind of dancing he had in mind required very little participation on her part. In a swift movement, he positioned himself behind her and placed his hands on her stomach, pulling them together. Ann wasn't sure if it was his touch or the sudden movement that made her stomach lurch.

The 'dance' continued like this for some time before Ann decided she needed to get away. _Whatever _they were doing – dancing or something else – she was bored with it and clearly wasn't enjoying it as much as her partner. She edged out of his embrace only to find herself back in it a few seconds later, her dizziness working against her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a beaming Katie dancing with Nina and decided to make that her destination. Moving strategically, she gravitated over towards them. Suddenly, the lilac summer dress that she had taken her so long to get accustomed to felt foreign against her skin again and anything but comfortable.

"Katie!" she called out, as if greeting her for the first time that night.

"Ann, hey! Having… fun?" she stressed the last word, raising her eyebrows suggestively at the limbs she was entwined in.

She continued to inch towards her until she realized she had gone too far, depth perception failing her. She lost her balance – surprisingly, for the first time that night – and toppled over only to be caught in Katie's arms.

"I guess that answers my question, doesn't it?" Katie laughed, "How much have you had to drink? Puke on this dress and I _will _kill you, possibly twice."

Katie's question was once again unlikely to need an answer.

The boy looked momentarily taken aback at Ann's fall and half-heartedly asked if she was okay, but she didn't feel like answering, or even looking at him. Something _else _was making her stomach churn - and she had a sickening feeling it had something to do with the aroma of perfume and sweat wafting off of Katie's skin. Their sudden proximity would have turned Ann redder if she hadn't already been so flushed.

"Hey," the boy sounded stung at Ann's refusal to acknowledge him, "Uh, so are we gonna…"

Katie shot him a look and told him, "I think she's had enough for the night, actually. Not much of a dancer, you know."

Being spurned by both Ann _and _Katie on Ann's behalf did nothing to improve his mood. "She was doing _fine._"

Ann still felt sick to her stomach. Katie opened her mouth to respond when she was cut off by a girlish shriek of laughter. She whipped around only too late to see who it had come from, and Nina at her side cast a glare into a small group of girls who had stopped dancing and were now looking over at them. They tried to be inconspicuous, but between their inebriation and their apparent case of the giggles, they only managed to dissolve into more laughter, clutching each other so as to remain standing.

Nina's eyes narrowed, unimpressed. "_What _is their problem?"

"Ann, you gonna be alright?" Katie tried to get the redhead to her feet again, but she seemed determined to stay latched on to the cheerleader. The gaggle of girls only found this funnier.

"Okay, c'mon Ann, let's get you a… a chair or something." More people stopped what they were doing to stare, and Katie felt suddenly furious with herself for inviting along the tomboy. It was like welcoming a stray dog that hadn't learned yet where to do its business.

"Ugh…"

"I just… wanted to be like you." The words floated upwards, barely audible from Ann's mouth.

"You just – _what? _Ann, get a grip, _please._"

"You're – you're everything… I w-wanted…"

The beat of whatever song was playing was suddenly overtaken by the beating of Katie's heart, which seemed to jump straight from her chest to her eardrums. She felt her stomach twist as more and more people turned their eyes on the scene: Ann's face buried right under her chest, her arms around her torso like a lifesaver.

"Nina," she turned to her best friend pleadingly, "A little help?"

Nina was perturbed by the sudden attention the scene was getting, and silently prayed for a distraction as she took hesitant steps towards Katie and Ann. She placed her arms on Ann's bare shoulders and cooed, "Come on, girl, let's get you some fresh air."

"_No!_" was Ann's violent reply. She flung an arm back and Nina hopped back to avoid its trajectory. "I don't n-need fresh air! I'm fine, with a capital frickin' F!"

The lack of control over the volume of her voice only attracted more onlookers. Katie felt her skin redden, and Ann's added body heat made her feel like a candle dripping wax.

"Whoooo!" cheered someone from the crowd.

'_Oh no. Do _not _turn this into _that.' Katie wriggled to free herself again, any pretense of consideration dropped and replaced only with the need to escape. She _had _to, before –

"Woohoo! We've got ourselves a show!" someone else yelled.

"Hey Dan, shouldn't you keep a closer eye on your girl?"

Someone else laughed shrilly, "Or was he just a beard?"

'_No, no, no, no, this cannot be happening.' _Katie's blood was boiling and sweat cascaded down her skin, further cementing her appearance as a melting candle.

"Katie! You should've told us you were into chicks!" called one of the giggling girls from before.

"Yeah, you could've done _way _better than _that!_" cackled another.

"We'd be, like, _all _over you!" a third drunkenly declared.

The cheerleader tried to laugh it off – an alpha's laughter at a house party was peerless in value – "Right, _right, _you _wish, _girls." Her laughter was shaky. She tried again to pry Ann's figure off her own. "Maybe if there were—"

"Make out!"

It was _that _exclamation that roused the crowd, elicited several more crude suggestions, caused the drunken girls a great deal of laughter, made Ann's head snap up, and made the colour drain from Katie's face.

Ann stared up straight into Katie's pale blue eyes and was standing up straight an instant later.

_'No, Ann, No, No, No, Do _not _even _think _about it.' _The girl leaned as far back out of Ann's reach as she could manage, while the redhead still managed to hold her torso in a vice grip.

"I can't back down from a dare, y'know," Ann mumbled, her eyes in such sudden focus that Katie was almost inclined to believe she had never been drunk to begin with.

"Yes, yes you _totally _can. That is… totally, _totally_ something you can do." Katie found it hard to avoid her gaze, piercing in its intensity.

"_Make out!_" they heard again.

"I – I think that's enough, guys, let's just…", came Nina's failed attempts at crowd control.

"A dare's a dare, Katie –"

Newfound adrenaline kicked in and she felt it overpower Ann's grip. She broke free, finally; with enough time to evade Ann moving in for the kiss – but too late to avoid a sudden flash of white from some direction, the sound of a camera-phone, and a swish of long purple hair disappearing into the crowd.

# # #

"You're really burning up. Carl… are you sick? You should've said something earlier!" She covered his forehead with her palm, golden curls falling over her fingers. He was red all over and his eyes were swimming. "Is it the smoke? Or just all of the people? Are you feeling claustrophobic?"

Carl, at first, said nothing. He closed his eyes, let the pounding in his ears intensify, tried to let it drown out the words spoken by his girlfriend, but to no avail.

"Let's get you some water, at least. This heat is no joke." The others looked over at them curiously. "Don't worry, we'll be back. They were selling water bottles near the back somewhere. Save our spots!"

"Wait up, I could go for a bottle myself." Joe strode forward.

"Please, No." Carl's assertion had shown itself for the second time that night, momentarily unnerving both Joe and Sacchun. Realizing this, he quickly added, "We'll get you one."

Giving Joe an apologetic wave of her hand, Sacchun took Carl by the sweaty palm of his hand and they set off through the crowd. It didn't go unnoticed when, mere seconds later, he let his hand slip from hers unceremoniously.

"I'm _parched,_" Sacchun said, her words coming out in a croak. "My voice is going to be _gone _by Monday.

"Mm…"

"And poor you! Who's going to pinch your cheeks and call you cute if I can't speak?" she teased, poking him right in the nose. Carl only looked down, gazed intently as his feet, as they moved through the stale air of the hall towards the vendor. They waded through the sea of bodies, all buzzing with excitement and excess energy. Carl seemed entirely unaffected, dropping like a stone in an aquarium.

Sacchun fought ardently with her emotions, refusing to let her anticipation materialize. She could see signs building up, but refused to acknowledge them. She was stumbling around on train tracks with a blindfold she had administered herself.

"There's something wrong." She had meant for it to come out as a question, but it did not.

"I…" Carl felt his throat constrict. The venture for a water bottle, though intended to be a ruse, seemed like a good idea now. They reached a vendor, carting around water bottles and various other canned drinks, and Carl bought himself a bottle. He offered her a sip first, without hesitation. She accepted and took a shallow sip, wanting to leave as much for him as she could.

"I'm sorry," she said as he was drinking, "I shouldn't have dragged you along, I…"

"No," even after drinking, Carl's voice sounded oddly staccato, "I _did _buy you the tickets, and I'm glad I got to share in this. I'm sure you've been told this before but… when you get fired up about something, when your passion really comes out – It's times like this when you're at your most beautiful."

"No one's ever told me that, actually." Sacchun let her mouth curl ever-so-slightly, into a knowing, secret, intimate smile that she reserved only for Carl. _'Goddess, it's amazing how I've even come to love those corny lines he feeds me…' _– and she knew why: corn aside, every word was so profoundly genuine.

They marched a few paces away from the vendor, who was rolling his eyes at the young couple without discretion.

"Still," she started again, "It would'a been fine if you didn't want to come. I know this isn't really your thing – I mean, noise, dancing, people, all that…"

Carl had never been sarcastic with Sacchun before, but apparently chose tonight to make his debut. "You make me sound like such a joy to be around, really."

"I – I'm sorry!" she spluttered, horrified at how her words had been so easily misconstrued.

Carl's chocolate eyes were transfixed on the specks of dust tumbling around in spirals above them, illuminated by the floodlights of the hall.

"Look, baby, _what _is this about? Would you rather we go home? You seem… really out of it…" Even as she said it, her stomach twisted and she was hit with a sudden, horrible prophecy that she might never go home with Carl again.

As if to out-swim the sudden deluge of icy, heart-stopping presentiment, she began talking as much as she could, hoping that some combination of words would pull her to shore. "This was probably a bad idea, I mean, we have the Forget-Me-Not fieldtrip on Tuesday and coming here _tonight _was _really _cutting it close, it's so easy to get sick at shows, or lose your voice, or get trampled by a crowd - I broke my arm once at a concert, actually – But! We d-don't need to stick around for the encore, let's head back; you can sleep over, we'll put some tea on, I'll throw together some peanut-butter-and-bananas on toast, then just c-cuddle – I was getting tired anyway."

Carl had not looked at her once, and she already knew she was losing, but forbade herself from accepting it.

"Carl… Please?" Her voice was a whisper, so frail she thought it'd break before it made it to Carl's ears.

"Sugarplum," he said, with a note of finality that took the breath out of Sacchun's chest, "I don't think I'm… I don't think we're working."

The lights were extinguished around them, and the crowd snapped back to the front, roaring like a many-legged, many-mouthed beast as the encore begun. And in the darkness, amidst the din, in a voice so tiny it lived for a hair of a second before being extinguished, Sacchun asked:

"Why?"


	57. As Long as We Try : Part 3

**/Author's Note: **Alright, here we are, then. As promised, the absolute finale of Season 2! I won't keep you for long. It's hard to believe Season 2 started back in 2007, and yet we're finally at its close! It's kind of unfortunate that chapters have taken longer and longer to come out, but I've still had a lot of fun writing this high-school epic. Even if I was 15 then and 21 now (yikes!), the enjoyment I get out of writing this fic hasn't changed, so expect to see it through to the end! Thank you to everyone who's been reading thus far, and special thanks to those who've been here since the first season. Season 3's ahead, and it'll be the shortest one – we really are entering HH!'s final stretch now.

That being said, thank you for sticking by me for this long, and for offering your thoughts, support, and feedback! I truly do love hearing from you all; it makes writing this that much more rewarding. As always, enjoy, and I'll see you all in Season 3! **End Author's Note/**

* * *

Chapter 56 - As Long As We Try: Part 3

"Man!" Kai let out a drawn-out groan, then squatted on the ground to save his feet the hardship of standing, "When's this chick gonna get on with the encore?!"

"Patience, baby," cooed Popuri, her voluminous pink hair frazzled and teased by the humidity of the hall, "Genius takes time, y'know." She leaned over her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around his neck, her endless curls falling over his head like a wig.

Karen, Eve, and Lloyd were still chatting enthusiastically about all the highlights of the show, and Ray had undone his ponytail and was stretching his arms. Joe, meanwhile, craned his neck to try and catch a glimpse of where Sacchun and Carl had run off to. He had this nagging feeling that Carl's need for water – and his insistence that Joe not come along – was all a ruse for more privacy. And with privacy, came making out. An image Joe had never quite grown accustomed to.

"Sacchun and Carl have been gone a while, eh?" he broke up the chatter between the fangirls and boy.

"Not really," Lloyd said dismissively.

"They might've gotten held up somewhere. This crowd is monstrous!" Popuri said.

Kai scoffed, "You think _this _crowd is bad? Babe, maybe I'll take you to a _real _concert one day; it'll be a learning experience." He laughed, inhaling wisps of pink and sputtering.

"Eh, to be fair, some of these fangirls could probably gnaw your arm off if you got too close. Or at least puncture your eardrums."

"Oh noes! Someone save Sacchun's arms and ears! She's in grave daaanger!" laughed Karen. Eve couldn't stop a giggle from bubbling out of her mouth.

"She has Carl with her, I think she'll be fine, kitten."

"I think _Carl's _the one who should be thankful to have _Sacchun _with him." Lloyd pointed out, and Joe laughed – though uneasily. "Either that, or…" Lloyd took a moment to find Joe's buttons and prepared to press them: "They got lost and wound up in make-out central?"

Karen coughed out "_Lame!", _but the damage had been done. Joe's eyebrows arched downwards and he crossed his arms, but said nothing. Lloyd could only grin at his best friend's reaction.

"Oh, now that's just _too _cute…" Eve tittered, but said no more.

"I don't want her to miss the encore!" Joe said defensively, "She'd be crushed!"

Karen decided the time was right to join in on the fun. "…If she isn't already crushed under Carl's manly body, as he presses down on her, hands firmly on her shoulders, moving in for the kiss…"

"Stop!"

"Why so flustered, Joe?" asked Eve, batting her eyelashes innocently.

"It's just… _weird! _There are – There're certain people you just _don't _want to imagine getting' all… _makey-outy. _Like Lloyd for instance! Dude's like a brother to me! I don't need _that _mental image!"

Karen shot up and pulled Lloyd into an embrace in record time. "You suuure? Cause I'd be happy to help you get used to it!"

Kai, Popuri, Ray and Eve were hooting with laughter and Lloyd gave an uneasy chuckle – Karen really was, if anything, absolutely unpredictable.

Joe blanched and stuck out his tongue in digust, and In another instant, she was back to her position of squatting on the ground by Kai. "Aw, well, too late now. Sorry Lloydie, maybe next time. You can blame Joe." Lost for words, as he often was, Lloyd just chuckled again. The red in his face had luckily gone unnoticed by nearly everyone – all but Eve.

At first, she had been hesitant to spend time with Karen – school politics had dictated that they were on very, very opposing ends of the social spectrum – but slowly, somehow, she had found herself warming up to the charismatic blonde. It seemed to be a trend, she realized – hadn't Gwen and Karen gotten along swimmingly after a few drinks back at the New Years party? She had an infectious personality, that Karen Lucine – even Eve could admit that.

But now, as she saw the explicit affection written all over Lloyd's face, and the better-hidden but still discernible affection hidden in Karen's glances and words, she felt a subtle creep of disloyalty. This was _Lloyd_, the boy Gwen had expressed interest in time and time again to her best friend – and who was on the verge of being stolen away by _Karen, _the girl she had been chummy with the entire night. Politics bearing over her, Eve made the conscious decision to maintain distance – it was the least she could do, for Gwen.

She walked around Lloyd and Joe and over to Ray, falling into his arms and feigning sudden tiredness. Karen watched her as she did so.

"Angelface," Eve said affectionately, rubbing her cheek against Ray's chest.

"Tired, huh? You were pretty much spazzing out for the past hour and a half."

"Fangirling takes a lot out of a girl."

"And Lloyd can attest to that." Joe fired back. He managed to get a bark of laughter out of Karen, but Lloyd himself only rolled his eyes.

"Hey, I wouldn't mind skippin' out on the encore." Kai looked up, the top of his head accidentally bumping Popuri's chin.

"Oh?" she rubbed her chin and lifted herself off of him, "Have somewhere you'd rather be?"

"Well, there was that _other _thing going down tonight. Y'know…"

Popuri frowned and crossed her arms. "Ew. No."

"If we left now we could make it! Then _you'll _have done something _you _wanted to do, and _I _can do something _I _want to do! Everybody wins, babe!" Kai gestured wildly to accompany his plea."What's that crap called? You know – compromising?"

"We're not going to that icky girl's house. Now shush."

The others listened with intent curiosity, but it only took Karen a few moments (plus a few _more _moments, given her slight inebriation) to realize what they were talking about. Lucy's party – it was _tonight. _

"Icky girl?" Eve enquired, wrapped up in Ray's arms.

Kai rolled his eyes. "That's _Kindergartner_ for Lucy. That is… Lucy Clifford." His eyes flickered over Karen, trying to read her reaction in the split second he had before his eyes snapped back. "She's throwing one of her trademark trashy spring bashes."

"Sounds… charming." Eve made little effort to hide her disdain – the kind of disdain enjoyed only by those of the high school upper-crust.

The name 'Lucy Clifford' had brought Karen temporarily out of her state of euphoria. For an instant, she found herself back on the staircase to Lucy's basement, after having her request rebuffed. Karen's head was suddenly swimming with thoughts. Among them, two voices echoed loudly from the near past:

"_School is overrated, as I'm sure you've realized by now." _Said the familiar one, tinged with venom.

_"It really is. Heh, I never thought I'd find myself agreeing to that so easily. At least, not a few months ago." _Said the other voice.

_Her _voice. The voice of the forgotten girl. She was _there – _hidden away in that ivy-covered castle, guarded by the purple-haired witch.

Karen looked up, first at Lloyd, then at Joe. It hadn't felt like her business to divulge the information before, and everything that had followed had driven the vital information she learned that morning right out of her memory. But now, being faced with the opportunity – and knowing just how 'trashy' Lucy's parties always got…

"Guys..." She shakily got up to her feet, "There's something I need to tell you. Something I… probably should have told you a while ago."  
She had their attention. She closed her eyes and thought of Meg.

# # #

"I'm sorry, May?" Dia's eyebrows shot up her forehead, "Did… Did you just say that you had a… _talking _cat? Did I hear that right? Because… I dunno if your 'gramps' ever taught you this but… that's not really _possible. _Toys can't_ talk._" Dia was hoping that the youth would not be perceptive enough to take note of how quickly she had regurgitated that rebuff. "Not possible at all."  
"You _old _people are all the same."

Dia cringed – but there would be time to defend her youth later. "Have you… ever encountered a talking cat?"

"_Duh._"

"May." The teenager injected as much firmness as she could in her voice. It wasn't very hard for her, either.

"_What?" _replied May indignantly, "Why should I tell ya? It's not like you're gonna believe me."

'_I do believe you! More than you think!' _Dia thought, fighting to hold the words back. She needed to find out what May meant, and if she was simply inventing some childish fantasy or if she had been another witness to this bizarre phenomenon. She glanced down at Jinx, who was back on his place on the counter, limp as a ragdoll; eyes lifeless. He could be _so _convincing that there had been more than one occasion where Dia had completely forgotten she was housing a supernaturally sentient stuffed animal – that it might have all been a dream. She was consistently proven wrong, of course.

A customer came in and yanked Dia out of her thoughts. She greeted him, then found herself drumming her fingers on the countertop as he loitered around. May went back to flipping through old music magazines, amusing herself with the pictures of the scantily-clad rock musicians of the decades past.

Right as Dia's – admittedly limited – patience was reaching its boundaries, the man left without buying anything. She immediately stalked over to May, pulled the magazine out of her hands mid-page-turn, and squatted down next to her. "Talk."

May decided, this time, she probably shouldn't argue.

"It was back when I was –"

As if the Harvest Goddess had craftily scripted the night like a bad sitcom, May was cut off by the sudden sound of a clatter and something falling. Dia's phone had vibrated right off the countertop and continued its agitated twitching. In the midst of deciding whether to roll her eyes or glare at the device, she got to her feet again.

Dia hurried back to the counter and snapped up her phone before it could stop buzzing. "Hello?"

She hadn't had time to check the Caller ID, but she recognized who it was as soon as she heard the familiar breathing on the other end. "What do you _want_, Kurt?"

"_Listen," _came his voice on the other end, sounding many times wearier since their last conversation, "_Karen just called me. She had some pretty interesting things to say."_

# # #

The '_Why?' _Sacchun had uttered echoed around her, filling her ears and leaving no room for the explosive voice of Lanna Royce that had made its re-emergence in time for the encore. She didn't even turn around to look at the starlet, her eyes fixed on the golden-haired boy in front of her.

" 'Why'?" Carl repeated, and the echoes stopped. He still wouldn't quite look at her, but didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular either. "Sacchun, I've been…" he started, and she saw his composure begin to slip. He salvaged it in record time and continued, "I've been so lucky to be with you these past few months. I _really _have. I… I don't…"

"_I'm _the lucky one." She spoke in a voice so low, and was sure her words were drowned out by the music, but at the same time something assured her that he had heard.

"You… You're amazing. You're full of life, you seize the day, you refuse to let a moment of your youth pass you by and…" he was quickly running out of breath, each word taking a toll on him, "And I just can't. I can't be with someone like you."

The words – now that they had been explicitly spoken - hit her hard, sending chills down the bare of her skin, but he wasn't done yet.

"And it's not because I don't like you – because… Sacchun… I _honestly _love you. But I can't live up to your… to _you. _I'm not … good enough. And it was stupid to ever think I was."

"That's not true!" she felt like yelling, but the voice came out in nothing but a croak.

"When I see Kurt and Dia… When I see the way they look at each other, when I see how _passionate _Kurt is whenever she's hurt, when I see the way he's tuned his heart to beat with her's… It scares me. Because I don't know… I don't know if I'll _ever _be capable of that. Do I have what it takes to ever really _know _and _love _a person to the point where I can be perfectly in tune with their emotions like that?" For the first time in this exchange, he spared Sacchun a glance, and immediately regretted it. The hurt in her eyes was piercing beyond relief.

"You deserve so much _more… _Someone who's n-not meek and mild and clumsy and immature. You're the first girl I'd ever kissed, did you know?"

She had known, of course.

"I'm… I'm still a child in so many ways."

"_But so am I._" her words came out battered and beaten, barely having the strength to leave the confines of her lips.

"You're… going places in life. I'm going to inherit a café and stick around Flowerbud forever. I –"

"_I'm not that great, Carl!_ I'm really not!" she found her voice again, but it was shrill and damaged, "I'm – I'm plenty childish too, in case you haven't noticed! Everyone treats me like a kid, and I just go with it, because I don't know how to be anything _but _a kid! Contrary to popular belief, I _know _I'm crazy, I _know _I'm dumb, I _know _I'm whiny and annoying and immature and I know how Goddess-damn irritating it must be to everyone around me but… I _know. _How could you even call yourself childish when I'm… such a textbook case of arrested development! I –" her breath caught in her throat, and she coughed, dryly and painfully, "I don't even know what the hell you're going on about anymore. _I'm _the kid. You're… You –"

She was cut off as a rogue body rammed into her, sending her shaking body to the ground in a crumpled heap. The elderly man apologized hastily through his thick moustache, without checking to see the damage he may have caused, then returned to dancing. Lanna's voice sang on overhead.

"Sacchun!" Carl darted towards her and knelt to lift her up. Her body did not cooperate with his hands and for a horrifying moment he thought she had been knocked unconscious. "_Sacchun!_"

It soon became clear that her refusal to rise to her feet was voluntary. Head bent low, arms tucked underneath her chest, Sacchun felt every bit of the weight of what had just happened, and it was bearing down on her and pinning her to the ground with all of its might.

Carl pressed his head against hers, ignoring the familiar texture and the familiar smell of her hair, and began speaking to the ground. Sacchun could still understand every word, and wished she couldn't.

"I guess we're just a pair of kids trying to play as grown-ups." He chuckled humorlessly, took a breath, and continued.

"I _tried. _I really did. I thought that by getting myself into this relationship I'd grow up and… and get better at dealing with things. Dealing with people. But even now… I can't make you feel better. I hate that this has to be tonight but… After you kissed me, it's just… Sacchun. I'll never… I'll never _know _you, Sacchun, the _real _you, well enough to not let you down – to not hurt you."

"But Baby…" Sacchun heard her own muffled voice shake with her body, "That's just – just part of being in a relationship! Hurting each other, letting each other down, all that jazz! It happens! W-We don't have to be perfect! _Nothing's _perfect!"

"I know, I know…" he said languidly, "But if I could even be a fraction of what Kurt is to Dia, I'd –"

"Forget them! They're _them, _we're _us, _stop measuring yourself up to someone that _isn't you! _Kurt's _far _from perfect, you know – he's screwed up more than you'd _believe! _He –"

"_Fine, _then," the first hint of exasperation crept into Carl's voice – possibly for the first time ever, "Let's take another example. You and _Joe – _"

"We are _not _like that! Holy Harvest Goddess, we could _never _be like that!"

"I _know, _muffin, I know… But… Don't you see? Joe's still your best friend. _Joe's _the one who can read you at a glance. _Joe's _the one who knows exactly what to do, what to say, to make things better. And I don't begrudge him for that! He's… He's your best friend. Just like Eve is Gwen's best friend, and Popuri is Karen's best friend and… just like Kurt is Dia's best friend." Carl finished quietly. "I love you, and I'll continue to love you for… for Goddess knows how long, but… You deserve the kind of love that goes beyond what I… what I've given you."

Sacchun's back shuddered and she felt the scene around her coming back to her senses. Lanna's voice began to creep into her ears again, she began to feel the sensation of all the bodies moving around them, and she knew she was losing it. She wanted to scream, wanted to block out the singing and the dancing and the hot air around them – if she could just hold on to this moment, just for a little longer, she and Carl could still be together. But it continued relentlessly; the night was winning, time was marching forward.

"I'm sorry." He said, and finally dislodged his head from her's, the flaxen curls parting with the ebony pigtails. The warmth he left lingered for only an instant, and then the barrier between Sacchun and the rest of the world was broken: nothing stopped the night from crashing in on her.

Time passed immeasurably.

"Sacchun?" a voice broke through the cacophony of sound. "…Sacchun?"

Sacchun realized she was still on the ground. Hot tears were spilling uncontrollably from her eyes, down her nose, and splashing onto her fingers as they gripped the pavement. She choked back a sob as the voice drew nearer.

"What happened? Is everything alright? Sacch-"

"What _happened?_" repeated another voice, and more followed.

"Sacchun!" cried a female one. Soon they surrounded her, but she still couldn't bring herself to raise her head. One of them knelt down, but she shuddered at the foreign touch while Carl's still lingered on her. Her body was rejecting anyone's touch but his.

"Are you alright?" asked Joe, his voice much closer to her ears. She shook her head, feeling dizzy.

"Where's Carl?" asked a voice, farther away, that she identified as Karen's.

"Help her up, man!" commanded Kai's voice, and Joe tried to help her to her feet. She obliged, but with difficulty. Sacchun was surprised for a moment that her legs still knew how to hold up the rest of her – it felt as if she had just slid out from under a boulder. She made no effort to hide her tear-streaked face, or her fingers, black with gravel.

"What happened?" Joe repeated, hands firmly on her shoulders. She wiggled free and took a step back.

"Where's Carl?" she croaked.

"That's what… we were gonna ask you." Lloyd said carefully, exchanging a worried look with Joe.

"He… didn't…" her voice failed her again, and she couldn't bring herself to speak in anything above a whisper.

Karen stepped forward, "Look, can we move along? There's no point getting any talking done here." She jabbed a finger over her shoulder, in the direction of the stage, as if the voice she had been revering ten minutes ago was now nothing more than a distraction.

"She has a point," Lloyd conceded, and they made for the exit. Sacchun's vision welled with tears as quickly as she blinked them away, and her dizziness kept her from walking unaided. Joe firmly put his hands on the back of her shoulders and steered her in the direction of the exit; Sacchun didn't have to look behind her to sense the worry stricken on his face.

They left the venue and the sound of Lanna's voice began to dwindle behind them. Popuri looked particularly sorry to go, and Lloyd sympathized with her but knew there were greater things at stake. Kai seemed unsure about why they had all suddenly decided to head to Lucy's party, but didn't question it – it worked in his favour, anyway. Karen stalked ahead of all of them, fists clenched, eyes alight with their new mission in mind. Sacchun made up the rear, assisted by Joe.

Karen stopped once they were outside the hall, and turned to them, arms akimbo. "Sacchun. Tell us what happened."

Sacchun opened her mouth, but couldn't get the words out; she just did not have the energy.

"Where's Carl?" Joe demanded, more roughly than he had intended to.

"He… I…"

"What did he do? Did you lose each other?" Popuri asked with a slight tilt of the head, thoroughly lost in the night's events.

"I don't think she's okay," Lloyd crossed his arms and frowned, "Sacchun, do you want us to take you home?"

Sacchun took a deep breath and attempted to focus her vision, at least to be able to discern everyone from the blobs of colour they had become. She felt the sharp warmth of Joe's hands on her shoulders.

"I'm… alright. I, uh…" She swallowed, "I guess was just caught by surprise when Carl… Well, when Carl broke up with me."

She had said it. There was no going back, now. She and Carl were officially done.

The expressions ranged from the sympathy in Lloyd's eyes to the disbelief in Popuri's to the anger in Joe's.

"He _broke up _with you? Why in the _HELL _would he do a thing like that?!" Joe exploded, moving in front of Sacchun, "What for?! What shitty reasons did he have for dumping _you?!_ Hell, if it was gonna happen, it should've been the other way around –"

"Dude," Lloyd stretched out his hand and placed it on Joe's shoulder to stymie the anger.

"…I just don't get it, Sacchun. What did he say?"

"Look, there were a bunch of things…" Sacchun slowly found her voice coming back to her, and her blood boiling much like Joe's, "A bunch of... _really _stupid things." She felt her vision lose focus again for a moment, but regained it quickly. "A bunch of really stupid things that I just… don't want to dwell on right now."

"Did he hurt you?" Kai asked, his mouth twitching. Popuri gave him a reproachful look. "_What?_"

"Obviously he did!" she squeaked, then muttered, "Stay _out _of it, Kai, jeez…"

Sacchun shook her head, then made her best attempt at smiling. "No, no he didn't… I mean, beside the typical melodramatic break-up pains that every girl goes through. I'll be fine though."

Just as Kai and Popuri's expressions relaxed, Lloyd's and Joe's strained: before them was a girl who had just been shattered to pieces, and had just clumsily picked them up again in an attempt to hold herself together – and it wouldn't last long.

"We can head back to the dorms." Lloyd said, then, with more conviction, "Let's head back to the dorms."

"What were you guys doing out here anyway?" Sacchun felt refreshed to breach another subject; it came as a surprising relief that anything else still existed to be talked about. "The… The concert…"

"We've got a job to do," Said Karen, the fire from her eyes still dancing, "I'm sorry to hear about you and Carl – but I think this might interest you."

The group stood out in the dry evening air as Karen told them everything: the relationship she had with Lucy, both toxic yet edifying; She told them about the morning she had visited her house, tried to convince her to come back to school, and then unintentionally overheard her conversation with a houseguest – one Meg Winslow.

Sacchun felt a chill run down her spine at the sound of her best friend's name. It was strange how her ears had become unaccustomed to hearing it. "Meg's… been _there _the whole time? With… with _her?_"

"Yep." Karen crossed her arms and nodded gravely, reveling in the drama and her part in it. "That's what Lucy's great for: as soon as you feel like you've hit rock bottom, she slithers along and makes it all seem alright. She's the best friend you could have in that moment – and at the same time, the worst. The very worst."

No one doubted that Karen was talking from experience. "She's made so many of her little friends that way. As soon as she finds you feeling particularly horrible about something, she takes it as a cue to come and share her… unique brand of comfort. She's like a toxin for the conscience – stick around her too much, and she'll make you feel right about anything you do. And before you know it – Bam. Conscience? What conscience?"

"Meg did go through a pretty bad rough patch after the whole… Starry Night thing." Lloyd pointed out gingerly.

"That idiot brother of mine…" Joe gritted his teeth, a sudden darkness coming over his features.

"It's not just that," Sacchun shook her head, "She's never been all that… strong. She had loads of problems before – her parents, her self-esteem, her luck with boys… I think it all took a toll on her. The incident with your 'idiot brother' was just the…"

"The straw that broke the camel's back." Lloyd finished for her. She nodded.

"Bingo," Karen punched her open palm, "Sounds _just _like the kind of gal who would get along with Lucy."

"I can't imagine her…"

"Trust me, those are exactly the kind of conditions Lucy would use to her advantage. It's not hard to drag someone down into the gutter when they've tumbled half-way there themselves – no offense."

"Well," Joe let out a low whistle, "That explains where she's been hiding all this time."

"What… What kind of things do you think she's _done _to her?" Sacchun wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer, even after posing the question.

Karen faltered. "… Well. She _really _hasn't been looking her rosiest lately, has she? If I had to guess… Copious amounts of partying, alcohol, _maybe _drugs?"

"Yo, that… that doesn't sound like that Meg girl at all," Kai remarked, "Straight A's, star violinist, member of the debate team…"

"That's _exactly _what Meg couldn't stand," Sacchun suddenly remembered, "She _hated _when people… well, decided who she was for her, just based on her achievements."

Kai looked taken aback, then quirked an eyebrow in thought. The rest of the group joined him in a moment of thought. The muffled sound of Lanna thanking the audience could be heard, but no one was really listening.

"…I guess we're all a little guilty of that," Joe said, breaking the silence. There was wordless agreement.

Karen took a step forward, her fists clenched again. "Well, here's our chance to make up for that. Lucy's spring bashes are always her raunchiest parties. Let's head on over there, beat 'er up or something, and talk some sense into that big blonde… blondie!" She fist-pumped the air. The group gave her a collectively perturbed look, to which she replied: "…Look, I'm still kinda drunk."

"I'm kinda with Karen. I wouldn't mind seeing what one of Lucy's parties is like myself." Lloyd said in support.

"I'm down. I… I kind of feel the need to do _something _right now." Sacchun added, "_Anything._"

Kai heaved a sigh and swung his arms behind his head, "Well, if we're gonna party crash, at least we can do it with a good reason, right? It sounds like this chica needs a good intervention."

"Let's do it." Joe said simply.

"There's a bike rental kiosk nearby. Karen, if you know the way from here, we can head head down on bike – is everyone cool with that?" Lloyd asked, and they nodded.

"And… since it's kinda on the way… If we're finally gonna do this, I think it's only fair we drag my bro along for the ride." Joe was glowering.

"Yes." Sacchun said, "Good idea."

"Let me give him a call first," Karen insisted, pulling out her phone and looking for her band-mate's number.

They all nodded, and began towards the street, but Popuri hesitated. Her cotton candy curls bounced as she caught up with Karen and entwined her arm in her best friend's. "Are you really gonna try and steal her back from Lucy? Is… is that a good idea, Karen?"

Karen gave her a hearty wink. "As long as we try, right, Popo?"

As if on cue, the song of the same name came pouring out of Riversong Hall, as Lanna began the final song of the evening.

The party smiled at the impeccable timing, and Sacchun in particular felt the fire within her – the one that had almost been put out entirely this evening – rekindle. Karen's – and Lanna's – words echoed in her head: '_As Long as we try.' _

_# # #_

"_Bob!_" Gwen's first instinct was to slap him. He walked over to her and Blue, drunk on both alcohol and the affections of a certain blonde. "You're such a _pig! _Like, an actual pig! You looked _like a literal _pig_, literally _gobbling up food from its trough_!" _

"Man, Gwen, jus' calm yerself down. S'not like we're together anymore, yeh know."

"That doesn't make what you did any less _disgusting!" _She closed her eyes, only to find that the image of Bob preying on Meg on the couch on the other side of the room had been burned into her imagination. "Seriously, I'm leaving. This – this entire party is just an excuse for disgusting boys to have disgusting make-out sessions while drinking disgusting things."

"Wha – She _wanted it, _Gwen. Jeez!" he crossed his arms defensively, glancing over his shoulder. Meg had cut their 'disgusting make-out session' short by her sudden need for water, and had yet to return. "Loosen up, fer Goddess' sake. Rememb'r when people thought y'were actually _cool_? She started it, dammit, an' who'm I to say no to _that?_"

_That _had come as a surprise to Gwen. Bob sleazing it up was, while deplorable, at least well within expectations. But _Meg _actually wanting it? She didn't know the girl well, but had been certain she had higher standards. _'Then again,' _Gwen remembered, '_Everyone at this party is either drunk off their ass or high as a kite, so nothing's really a surprise at this point.' _

Her desire to leave grew stronger. _'I never should have let Bob talk me into coming to this thing. Anything hosted by Lucy always leaves me feeling… slimy.' _

As if to prove her point, Lucy herself made an appearance, taking a stand on one of the couches and announcing that she was now bringing out snacks. Meg stood by her, looking dazed. The music was muted for her as she spoke, and Gwen realized that her ears were ringing.

"… so feel free, help yourself, and remember just how much fun a party at the Cliffords can be!" Cheers and hoots went up all around her, and she flashed a winning grin, "Come back next time, got it?"

There was more cheering, but Gwen could see Meg beckoning to her purple-haired friend, whispering something to her, and Lucy cleared her throat again.

"Oh! Andbefore I forget, no one better leave without trying one of my famous, er… _special _brownies!" She gave an all-too unnecessary wink and added as a gibe, "A Clifford family recipe, of course."

Lucy reached for the table and held the shining platter above their heads before removing one of the brownies from its neat pyramid and handing it to the blonde at her side. Meg looked pleased to receive the honour, and stuffed the brownie in her mouth.

Gwen couldn't bear to watch; she felt foolish for thinking the girl had any standards at all.

# # #

The warm night air felt cool and cutting against their skin as the group pedaled furiously down the empty street. Their shadows danced erratically around them, bent by the whims of the trees and street lights overhead. Karen and Sacchun lead the pack, Joe and Lloyd following close behind, and Kai, though slowed down by the added weight of Popuri on his bike, managed to trundle along not too far behind.

The streets were largely devoid of people – even for a Friday night, Flowerbud's nightlife was largely made up of students, and only a small number of which could actually drive. Few words were exchanged, as everyone put their efforts into propelling the bicycles forward, a sense of duty and spirit driving them onwards. Sacchun, especially, had taken all the emotions she had been left with after Carl had broken up with her and channeled them into pure energy; she sped down the street with an untamed ferocity in her eyes. Karen saw this as a challenge to go even faster, the strain on her muscles going unnoticed thanks to her slight buzz.

They biked up and over a bridge, and Lloyd couldn't help but inhale as much of the night air as he could. As the moon caught his eyes and its sparkles on the water danced merrily, he was reminded of just how invigorating it was to fly through a summer night like this.

Fifteen minutes of intense biking later and there were doubts as to whether they were still in town: they had ridden onto Blue Mist Drive, a neighborhood of the most opulent houses in Flowerbud. The ground rose above them and the street they were biking on became something of a valley, surrounded by tall hills with even taller houses nestled on their faces.

"It's not much further," Karen assured them from ahead.

It certainly wasn't, for after turning a corner there was an unmistakable din that could only have come from a festivity. Even in the dark, Karen could recognize the three-storey party central as soon as she approached it.

"Damn, look at this place," Lloyd said in a low voice, as if not to wake the behemoth of a house.

Kai was visibly excited. "Some of the best parties in the town have happened here."

"Too bad it's got what sounds like a huge rat problem…" Sacchun added, her nose wrinkling.

Karen wobbled off her bike and clutched her stomach, "I really don't feel so good anymore…"

Popuri hopped off Kai's bike and walked over to her best friend, proceeding to give her a sympathetic back rub.

"What about my bro?" Joe asked Karen as she crooned over Popuri's touch, "Is he coming?"

"He said something about having a test or whatever. He was being…" she searched for the word, "Flaky? Non-comittal? Y'know, being the usual Kurt? Forget it, dude, we're already here."

Joe opened his mouth to argue further, but the group dismounted and closed in on the premises.

They leaned the bikes against the cobbled wall surrounding the premises, and Karen lead the way in through the iron gate. As they advanced through the Cliffords' property, the music blaring became more apparent, and seemed to be coming out of the ground itself. The heavy bass of the song could almost be felt around their feat as they tread through the grounds.

"The basement," Kai explained, "It's where all the good stuff happens."

Popuri rolled her eyes and pushed him ahead before he could say any more. "We're _not _here to party. Don't forget that!" She was still a little lost as to what they _were _here to do, but she was certain Karen had it under control.

They approached the front door, passing a drunken couple making out behind a shrub as they did. No one was particularly surprised.

"We can't just waltz in through the front door!" Sacchun insisted, gesturing emphatically to the redwood door in question, "We gotta be stealthy! And like… infiltrate it 'n stuff!"

"Sacchun," Karen put a hand on her shoulder and bowed her head solemnly, "I think it's about time you heard this from someone: you play way too many video games."

The shorter girl gave a pout and asked, "Well, what's the plan then?"

"We, uh, ring the door bell."

"…It kind of lacks the _zing _of Sacchun's plan." Joe admitted.

"I _know _how these things work, guys," Karen responded matter-of-factly, "I don't think Lucy has ever _once _answered the door at one of her own parties. She'll _always _send someone else up to do it. Trust me."

"Ah, of course, Karen _would _know." With a hand on his chin, Kai said, "You were totally Lucy's little bit—"

"Finish that sentence, Kai, and I'll have your nipple in such a vice grip it'll be as purple as your bandana." She shot daggers from her eyes to accompany her threat. Kai folded his arms – wisely – over his chest, and remained quiet.

"Her drunken purple-nurples are _deadly._" Popuri whispered dramatically.

True to Karen's prediction, the doors swung open at the behest of somebody else; in this case, and to the surprise of everyone – especially Karen and Lloyd – Gwen had answered.

"What are _you _doing here?" asked the blondes simultaneously as they came face to face.

"There's no time for your comically-timed banter! Let us in, we'll explain then!" Sacchun insisted, hovering on her tippy-toes behind Karen.

Gwen conceded and lead them into the dimly-lit vestibule, the pounding of the music beneath them even more pronounced. Closing the door behind them, Sacchun attempted to stealthily corral them into the living room off to the side.

Gwen opened her mouth to speak, but Sacchun beat her to it: "We ditched the Lanna concert because we found out that Meg – y'know, one of our best friends, blonde, smart, accomplished, bitchin' violinist, etcetera – was frequenting this filthy little fiesta, and was keeping company with the loathsome Lucy Clifford, and thought we'd swoop in and… Do something." She forced the words out in a voice only slightly above a whisper. "Now you go."

"I… had nothing to _do _tonight…" Gwen crossed her arms but made a conscious effort not to look at or anywhere near Lloyd, "So I stupidly let Bob talk me into attending this thing, and have regretted it for about ninety-five percent of my time here." Sacchun gave her a distressed motion to keep it down, but Gwen only rolled her eyes and continued, "And… Yes, I've seen your friend. Quite a bit of her, actually. Not as much as _Bob's _seen,though," she examined her nails with non-chalance, letting the statement sink in.

Lloyd and Joe raised their eyebrows simultaneously and gave each other significant looks. Sacchun frowned and opened her mouth slightly.

"But tell me… _What _exactly do you plan to do? I'm sorry, but she's looked like she's been having a ball the whole night. She's been right at the center of all the… activity."

"That's not true! She's not _like _that!" moaned Sacchun, giving Joe a pleading look. He only looked down, his eyes unreadable.

"Girl, I'm not claiming to know her better than you do, but… people _do _change. I _don't _think the girl you're looking for is going to be here tonight." She re-crossed her arms, "You can see for yourself, if you'd like."

Karen took a step forward, a familiar challenge to this battle field. "Oh, shut up! What do you know? We came all the way and we're not leaving unless she's with us!"

"_Please, _Karen," drawled the taller blonde, with no lack of exasperation, "Just what were you going to do? Burst into the basement, jump around, yell about love and friendship, grab the blondie, hop into your coach made out of a pumpkin, and ride off into the night?"

"Well, _basically, yeah_!" Karen barked drunkenly, then paused to reconsider her retort. "Look… what's the harm in letting her best friends talk to her for a bit? What's it to _you _anyway, you giant… tomboy… giraffe!"

A quirked eyebrow was the only reply she could give to the insult slung at her, and then Gwen told them, at large, "I just don't want you guys to be… disappointed. I've been down there all night, and it's _not _pretty." Looking around and seeing that her words were having little effect, Gwen inhaled and trucked on:

"Meg's come out of her shell a lot, and _not _in a good way. Drinking, consuming, sleazing it up – you know, all that fun stuff." She gave Joe a nod and added, "I'm not gonna blame him when the girl's so obviously messed up, but, it really seems like Kurt did quite a number on her." Joe's nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed. "Please, before you do anything, just consider the fact that not everyone sits around, waiting to be rescued by a knight – or _knights_, in this case – in shining armor."

There was an exchange of uncomfortable glances as Gwen's words fell like rain over a bonfire. Joe's fists clenched and he locked his gaze on the floor, avoiding eye contact all together. Karen fought to preserve the determination in her eyes, and Gwen avoided looking at her and maintained her conviction. Lloyd smiled grimly to himself: there were many points on which the girls differed, and idealism versus rationality seemed to be another one. He took a step forward.

"You might be right, Gwen," he said, and Joe broke his reverie to emit a strangled protest, but Lloyd overrode him: "There might be nothing we can do, but… well, so sayeth Lanna: as long as we try, right?"

"Amen, brother," Karen put a hand to her chest and nodded fiercely. "Praise be to Godna."

Gwen flung her hands up and said, "Look, I'm not gonna stop you."

"Damn straight you aren't!" Karen strode towards the living room's exit confidently, "Let's go, guys!"

Lloyd and Sacchun nodded at each other and advanced with her, Gwen watched with her bottom lip caught under her teeth, and Joe made another attempt at speaking: "Hold it."

"What is it?" Lloyd turned to his friend.

His posture was rigid, his fists balled at his side, his feet poised and ready to bolt. Through gritted teeth, he enunciated: "I. Don't. Give. A. Crap. About his lame excuses. I'm going to get my brother. And he is going to deal with this. Right. Now."

Without leaving time to protest, Joe flew out of the room and swung the great redwood door open. An evening's worth of frustration and several months worth of resentment exploded and propelled him forward, leaving nothing but a stunned silence in his wake.

# # #

Fifteen minutes of intense biking later and the scenery around them became familiar to everyone. Joe pulled into the lead and turned the corner into the courtyard of the student dorms. Jumping off his bike and letting it clatter to the pavement unceremoniously, he gave a curt nod to the others, then headed inside the building, leaving them to wait.

"I don't feel so good anymore…" Karen groaned, hunching over the handlebars of her bike, her golden hair blanketing her face.

Popuri hopped off Kai's bike and walked over to Karen, proceeding to give her a sympathetic back rub. Sacchun was tapping her feet and pulling on her brakes impatiently. They kept their eyes on the glass panel doors of the building, and watched Joe punch a code into the building's intercom, and from the silent movements of his mouth a few seconds later, they assumed he had gotten through to Kurt.

"Hurry _up…_" Sacchun grumbled, fanning herself with her hand as perspiration glistened down her face.

The student dormitories were not very far from Blue Mist Drive; on bike, and at the furious pace he had set for himself, it took Joe only minutes to skid into the parking lot, drop his bike, and stomp into the building. Sacchun, Karen, Kai and Popuri, similarly, arrived minutes later and gave Joe's discarded bike a significant look.

"I see someone coming down…" Sacchun remarked, turning her gaze to the glass doors of the building. Seconds later, the glass doors swung open and Joe was pulling his brother down the steps and towards the group. Kurt looked disheveled, wearing an oversized T-shirt and a pair of camouflage boxers. His matching bandana was missing, and his chestnut hair fell limply over his face, prompting the group to take a few moments to recognize him.

"_What's _going on? And can _someone _tell me why my idiotic brother is—"

Karen and Sacchun gasped and Popuri let out a sharp yelp. Joe had cut his brother's query short with the swing of his fist, directly into Kurt's face.

"_Joe!_" Kai yelled, abandoning his own bike.

"Not now, man." Joe let hot air out of his nostrils and made for his brother again.

Attempting to stop him, Karen approached and cried, "Stop!"

"Not _now!" _he spat, and aimed a kick for the perturbed Kurt, who nimbly rolled out of the way and got to his feet.

"What the hell is your problem?!" the unkempt boy demanded, his eyes wide with incredulity and his cheek swelling, "Seriously, _what the hell?_"

Popuri had run over to Kai in a tizzy just as Sacchun had gotten off her bike. "What are you _doing, _Joe?!"

The voice of his best friend prompted Joe into at least explaining himself.

"This is _his _fault!" he yelled, his voice reverberating in the empty courtyard, "This wouldn't have happened to Meg if _this _jackass hadn't screwed with her so much."

Kurt took a step forward, eyes narrowed and fists clenched, "Late reaction, much? What the hell brought this on? Haven't I apologized enough?"

The younger brother turned back to the older, the look in his eyes purely feral. He threw another punch in his direction, but Kurt, expecting it this time, dodged with enough time to close in on Joe and grab him by the collar of his shirt.

"Put me down! _You _did this! You were the one who screwed everything up! _Everything!" _He drove his knee into Kurt's stomach, causing him to double over and lose his grip on Joe's shirt. "You don't even know the _half _of the shit you've caused. But who gives a damn, right? What does it matter, when you have your pretty little Goth on your arm? Must feel good to be just the two of you, in your own damn little bubble, ignoring the rest of the worl—" In a move of surprising agility, Kurt sprung back to his feet and caught his brother's jaw on his fist.

"Stop being ridiculous!" he shot another jab in the direction of his chest, "How is it _my _fault? Obviously I'm not freakin' proud of what I've done, but I _apologized, _Joe. I made my peace with M- with her!"

Joe fell back, spluttering and cursing, and couldn't recover in time to avoid the next punch that Kurt aimed right for the side of his head. One of the girls was screaming, but neither had any idea who it was.

"Or could it be, baby brother, that you're just projecting? That maybe you realize that _you're_ the one who could have done more?" He strode towards his attacker, veins bulging visibly, unbothered by the gravel underneath his bare feet, "After all, wasn't she one of _your _best friends? Weren't you guys supposed to be there for each other _no matter what? _Or did that only count when it was convenient, so you could run away with your tail between your legs when things got too _real _for you? Huh?"

For a moment, Joe was still, and there was a glimmer of hope that he might have come to his senses. Then, Joe's ears filled with the sound of rushing blood and he felt a roar erupt from his throat. Lunging at his brother, he tackled him to the ground and unleashed a flurry of punches, erratically aimed and making just as much contact with the ground as with Kurt's face.

"Don't you _ever –"_

"Joe! _Joe! _For Goddess' sake, _stop!_"

" – Should've beaten you to a pulp _months _ago, you –"

"Somebody call someone! Get these two back to their senses!

" – You have _no idea _what you've caused, do you, you Goddess damned –"

"Get off him, Joe! _JOE!_"

Joe ceased his assault and stood over his brother, who had raised his arms over his face in an attempt to defend it from the barrage of fists. Chest heaving, eyes wide, star-spangled bandana undone, he fixed his stare on Kurt, fists still raised.

Amazingly, Kurt lowered his arms and revealed a smirk in place on his battered face. He looked his brother straight in the eye, and taunted: "Time to grow up, little brother."

It took Joe a second to process the audacity of Kurt's remark. Momentarily stunned, he nearly lowered his fist – and then the moment passed and anger shot through his body like a venom. He raised his fist and brought it down with all his might.

_'Everyone tells me my drinking's getting out of hand,' _thought Karen, her sluggish mind slowing down the events in front of her to a crawl, '_But no one seems to remember that the best part of being drunk is this little thing called liquid courage.'_

It was with this credo in mind that the blonde stripped herself of all inhibitions and broke into a sprint, colliding with a mass of flesh and tackling Joe to the ground before he managed to deal the blow.

"Gentlemen," she grunted, hitting the pavement with Joe wrapped in her arms, "Did no one ever teach you that it was rude to fight when there are ladies present?"

"Karen!" Kai called out. Popuri had her hands clamped over her mouth, yet still managed to let out an audible squeak.

Joe struggled, as she had expected him to, but she kept her arms locked around him. "Nuh-uh, bandana boy."

"_Let me go!_"

"Not until you behave yourself. Do you want to help Meg?"

Joe spasmed at the utterance of her name, and Karen swung him over with all her might so that he lay on his stomach. She sat on the small of his back, holding his arms back, and gave them a painful-looking tug. "_Do you want to help Meg?"_

He submitted, but not without a few last-ditch attempts at struggling. "Good. Then what we're _going _to do, is stop with the fisticuffs, get on our bikes, and get our asses down to Lucy's. Any objections?"

"Kurt's… coming. Make him come." Joe grunted, straining his neck to get a look at his brother.

Kurt got to his feet shakily, his breath ragged and inconsistent. Trying to give shape to his bedraggled hair with one hand, and using the other to palm his discoloured cheek, he said, "Look, I wanted to help, I _did. _When Karen called me and told me, it – it shook me. But you guys are friggin' _crazy – _I have a huge test tomorrow to study for, and then _this _happens, I just… What do you _want _from me?!"

Joe's pupils dilated and he opened his mouth to yell again, but Karen stopped him before he could: "Kurt, I know that coming from me, this doesn't hold much water, but I _do _think that there are times when school can be put on the back burner… and I sincerely think this is one of those times. "

The battered boy bit his lip and looked away. "I _have _been worried about her…"

A few moments passed in suffocating silence; even the crickets seemed to be listening intently, having abandoned their song.

It was Joe who spoke first. "You were right," he said, in a voice calm enough that Karen decided he could behave himself. She got off him, and he rose to his feet. "We… I… could have done more. It's so easy to let time get away from you, and before I knew it, things had become… well, like this."

"We're all a little guilty of that, I think." Sacchun walked forward and fixed the lopsided bandana on Joe's head, "Worst best friends _ever, _am I right?" The muscles around her mouth tensed, as if about to smile, but stopped there.

Kurt turned back to them, his face looking disproportional from the swelling. "I know what you mean… I've just pushed it to the back of my mind and tried to pretend everything was alright…"

Everyone nodded; it was a habit familiar to all of them.

"Sometimes I just… feel so guilty even _being _with Dia. I just wish I could…"

Joe walked over and clapped his older brother on the back. Kurt flinched involuntarily, then cracked the smallest of smiles. "Well… what do we do, then?"

Karen beamed at the two of them, arms akimbo. "First, we put on some pants, second, we head back over there."

"I don't think that'll be necessary!" called a voice from behind them. "Well… The pants part might be."

The group turned around to see that they were no longer alone in the courtyard. Lloyd, Gwen, and Ann all made their way over, waving and smiling. And, as they moved closer to them, a fourth person slowly became visible. Appearing like the moon behind a veil of clouds, Meg stood behind them.

# # #

**Earlier that Night…**

"He's going to do something crazy…" Lloyd muttered, closing the door after Sacchun, Karen, Popuri and Kai had sped off after his best friend. "They better talk some sense into him."

"Are you sure you chose the right people for _that _job?" Gwen asked, arms folded over her chest, "Sacchun? _Karen? _Not exactly the poster-children of 'sense'."

Lloyd conceded the point with a nod, but added, "We'll just have to see."

"And why are _you_ staying behind again?" Gwen asked, hoping the glimmer of hope in her voice was well-enough concealed. Lloyd gave her a look that suggested it probably hadn't been, but neither acknowledged it. He strode past her and out of the vestibule.

"C'mon, I wanna see how bad this party really is."

Wrinkling her nose at the thought, but following regardless, Gwen said, "Do you really think you can bring her back, Lloyd? She's just… _so _far down the rabbit-hole at this point…"

"Maybe, Gwen, I don't know. But it's obvious enough that we wouldn't be able to live with ourselves if we didn't –"

"- Try. I know."

They reached the basement door, the last barrier holding back the explosive music behind it. It seemed to be shuddering on its hinges as it endured the sonic onslaught. Gwen spoke just as Lloyd had stretched his hand out to grasp the doorknob.

"High school… really _does _change people, doesn't it? It's never who you expect, either… They really weren't kidding about that part."

Lloyd couldn't think of anything to say in response. His breaths quickened and he decided to let Gwen assume that he hadn't heard her over the music; and she did. Turning the doorknob, the sound hit them with almost physical force, and step by step, tip-toeing over red cups filled to varying extents with alcohol, they made their way into Lucy's party.

Late into the night as it was, very few people in the extensive basement were still sober. They had entered a living jungle, and bodies were everywhere – dancing, jumping, entangled with one another. The lights were dimmed and everything around them changed colour every few seconds thanks to the strobe lights and blinking holiday lights strung up around the room. Gwen was bored with the flashiness, but Lloyd had a hard time navigating more than a few feet into the chaos.

"Do you see her anywhere?" he asked, realizing at the same time that there was no way his voice could rise above the din, "Do you see her anywhere?!" he repeated, loudly.

"Last I saw her she was by the snacks – having some… er, brownies. You know. _Brownies._"

Lloyd felt his stomach knot - he was in the same room as Meg Winslow for the first time in what felt like years. Any second now, her pale figure could emerge from the throng of people, and – and what would he do? How would he react? No one had planned quite this far ahead, the entire scenario seeming like a lofty fantasy up until now. Now, in the heart of Lucy's pulsating jungle of bodies and lights and sound, everything was much more real.

The pair were so focused on wading through the sea of people to find Meg that they hadn't noticed another body forcing its way over to them. Out of seemingly nowhere, Ann appeared and threw herself into Gwen's arms, cheeks flushed and copper-coloured hair disheveled.

"Ann!"

Lloyd swung around, "Ann! Are you alright?"

Ann turned her face upwards, revealing her clumsily-applied make up streaked with tears as it ran down her face. Raucous laughter seemed to have followed her, and a group of both girls and boys – who seemed entirely in their element – showed up, mouths open in coarse laughter and camera phones in outstretched hands.

It took less than a second for the camera phone closest to Gwen to go flying out of a young boy's hand and skid onto the floor. Gwen brandished her fist, still supporting Ann with her other arm, and threatened to knock back any other electronics waved in her face. The boy dove to the ground and began scuttling around for his expensive piece of gadgetry before it got trampled under the many feet.

The laughter subsided, but Gwen shouted out a few more threats and curses, just to be safe. Soon enough, Ann's tormenters had assimilated themselves back into the crowd, and Lloyd noted that Gwen had a particularly smug look about her.

"What happened?" she gripped Ann by the shoulders and forced her to her feet. Lloyd would not have been able to guess that this was Ann at first, but beyond the makeup, the straightened hair, and the ill-fitting dress, was the freckled tomboy they all knew.

Opening up her mouth to speak resulted in only a loud hiccup coming out. "Long story." Ann replied wearily. "I – _hic – _I just want to go home. Please tell me you guys are going home. Take me. Take me _home._"

Lloyd and Gwen exchanged sympathetic looks, then tried to explain what they were here for. Ann didn't seem to hear any of it, her lips incessantly moving in a mantra of '_take me home'_. Her attention was only breached when Gwen tried to rub her back and move a few strands of her hair behind her ears in a gesture of sympathy. Her eyes snapped up, right into Gwen's, and widened considerably.

"Uh… Ann?"

Rejecting Gwen's touch, she backed away, looking suddenly scared.

"Are you –"

Ann cut her off. "I'm – You guys do what – _hic – _what you need to. I'll wait outside. Need air. Fresh. Fresh air. I need it. Come get me on your way out – please." With that, she backed away from the pair of them and zig-zagged her way through the crowd, back to the stairs.

"That was… odd?" Lloyd strained his neck to see if she had made it through the crowd.

"A little…" Gwen gave her own hand a significant look, wondering what about it had made Ann recoil. "Then again, she's drunk. _Everyone's _drunk. Everyone's bound to be a little odd." She reasoned.

In support for Gwen's claim, there was a sudden chanting of, "Chug! Chug! Chug!" that came from somewhere ahead of them, growing steadily louder as more people turned to see what was going on.

"Ugh, C'mon Lloyd, let's check over by the couches before this gets out of hand," Gwen moved to grab Lloyd's arm, only to find that he was already wading over to the source of the cheering. "Lloyd!"

"Wait, Gwen, I think…"

Whatever came after that was swallowed by the uproarious, monosyllabic chanting.

"Is that –"

"I think so."

Pushing people apart and squeezing between innumerable amounts of bodies, the duo managed to reach the center of everyone's attention. And sure enough, hoisted up on Bob's broad shoulders, sat Meg – downing an entire bottle of alcohol to the great pleasure and exaltation of the crowd.

"And there's your princess." Gwen muttered in Lloyd's ear.

"Meg…"

She finished the bottle and brandished it above their heads victoriously, Bob bucking with laughter. There was a burst of cheer and applause from the surrounding crowd, and Meg took a wobbly, dizzying bow over Bob's head.

"Seen enough? Still want to talk to her?" Gwen hissed, her tone venomous as she eyed Bob with distaste.

"I need to get her attention." Lloyd said resolutely.

"Well hey, grab a bottle, get on my shoulders, then challenge her to a duel! Maybe that'll do it!" The blonde was having a hard time hiding her exasperation, and her thoughts were still on Ann.

"Look, as soon as she, well, gets down from there, I'll go over and –"

It happened sooner than Lloyd had banked on: Bob swung around wildly, forgetting, in his drunken stupor, the girl up on his shoulders. Inevitably, Meg jerked backwards, her legs sliding up and off Bob's shoulders, and she went tumbling straight to the ground – or would have, if not for the lightning-quick reflexes of a certain blonde tomboy.

"Huh? Gwen?" Bob uttered as his ex-girlfriend appeared just in time to catch the falling Meg.

"Shut it, square head." She grunted.

Meg let out a delayed yelp of surprise, her curtain of hair falling over her face gracelessly. "Who –"

Gwen propped her up on her feet and held her till she could regain her balance, then Lloyd stepped forward. With a sweep of her hand, she displaced the thick strands of hair and was granted sight once again. She let out another gasp.

"L… Lloyd?"

Lloyd could only nod, now completely at a loss for words.

Meg was convinced for a moment that it was only a trick of her drunken state; it wouldn't be the first time familiar faces had swum into her vision while under the influence of alcohol. Earlier that very night, this same boy had been on her mind for the first time in weeks – and now, they were face to face.

"Hey…"

Meg shook her head and felt her thoughts slosh around like the contents of a snowglobe. Her vision blurred and refused to revert to normal, so she held her head, which had suddenly grown to be three times its normal weight. "Lloyd…" The name felt foreign on her tongue.

"I wanted to talk to you… if that's alright. If you're not too busy." He mumbled the last part.

"I'm – Oh goddess," Meg tried to take a step but the combined effects of dizziness and inebriation intervened. "I'm not – not busy, Lloyd." She had to say his name again, just to hear it in her voice – it may have come out as a raspy, throaty warble, but it still almost sounded like her former self when she said it. This new magic seemed to entrance her – she wanted to try it out on other names. "Sacchun…" she experimented, saying it loudly and slowly. "Joe… Sacchun…"

Lloyd was befuddled. "Uh…? I'm – I'm Lloyd, yes. Sacchun and Joe… aren't here right now. Are you alright, Meg?" It pained him to already have the answer to that question.

"I'm a little… out of sorts."

'_Out of sorts, right,' _Gwen thought, withholding a scoff,_ 'Or a little high. And drunk. Or very high and very drunk! Imagine that!' _She had to look away from Lloyd as she held one of his former best friends in her arms. It was bearing down on him, finally, that Meg was a very different individual from the Meg who had entered the Lunch Dome on the Starry Night Festival, hair in a bun and lavender dress so delicately pressed against her person.

"Can I get you anything? Er, this won't take long, I just… It's been a while – and you're…" Lloyd fought to avoid averting his eyes. For a fleeting moment he wished he had run after Joe with Sacchun and the others. He wasn't as equipped to handle this as he thought.

"… Are you sure you want to talk to me?" Meg's eyes were now downcast, and her voice even more gravelly than moments before.

"Of course!" he exclaimed, the knot in his stomach claiming otherwise, "Maybe we should go somewhere where there's less noise."

"I don't think this is a good idea…" Meg said, slowly dislodging herself from Gwen's hold. "Look, you shouldn't have come here –"

"Yeah, this party is big boys _only,_" Bob barked with laughter, crossing his beefy arms over his chest and nodding to Gwen, "This your new boyfriend, Gwen?"

"I said, _shut it._" Gwen paralyzed him with a bitter glare.

"Lloyd," Meg said darkly, "Really. Leave. There's nothing – nothing to talk about."

"N-No." Lloyd plucked up his courage, "No. Meg, if you'll just… listen, for a bit. I'm – We're worried. _Very _worried."

The phrase struck Meg to her very core, and her bloodshot eyes widened as if she had just been smacked in the face. "_Worried…?"_

"I know we haven't been the best of friends lately, and I know we were slow to pick up on the signs, and there're about a hundred other things we need to apologize for, but _please –_"

Meg moved suddenly, silencing him. She took a wobbly step, and then another one, until eventually she closed the distance between herself and Lloyd, with small, painfully slow footsteps that wouldn't disorient her too much. "Lloyd. Leave. There's _nothing _to talk about." She repeated, a quaver in her voice.

Lloyd stood his ground and swallowed the fear and anxiety eating at his throat. He looked her straight in the eyes and took in everything about her appearance and lifestyle that he, and the others, had spent so long turning a blind eye too: Here was Meghan Winslow. Known as 'Meg' to most people. She is five feet, four inches. She played violin and kept her grades up meticulously. She has blonde hair and pale skin and eyes as blue as the midday sky. Those eyes are now streaked with forks of red. She is currently high off marijuana, and inebriated off a ludicrous amount of alcohol and liquor. This is, most likely, not the first time this has happened. She's been absent from school for the good part of the last three months. And now, she is telling one of her best friends, Lloyd, that they have nothing to talk about.

"Meg, there is _so _much to talk about." Lloyd whispered, eyes narrowed as they bore into her eyes, "And I get it. I get that you've changed, I get that you've been hurting – for a lot longer than we know, probably! I get that we screwed up and I get that this –" he gestured to the basement walls surrounding them "- is your life now. Fine. I get it. But we _will _talk. Even if it's not tonight… I'll be back. _We'll _be back." He backed away from her, and finally allowed his eyes to focus on something – _anything _else. Lloyd paused to breathe, to avoid allowing emotion to coil around his throat as it threatened to at that moment, "Just give us a chance, when that day comes, alright?"

Lloyd turned away and stalked back into the legion of teenagers, Gwen shooting Bob a final glare of utmost distaste before following after him.

# # #

The relative silence of the night washed over them as they closed the door to Lucy's house. The music, though still audible, was fainter now, and Lloyd and Gwen's ears were grateful. The boy's heart beat uncontrollably, mind still swimming.

"I'm sorry," Gwen offered as they strolled through the unnaturally large front garden, "I mean… I can't say I didn't expect that… but I wish it hadn't gone like that. Really… I do."

The brunette smiled, though didn't have the energy to send it in Gwen's direction, instead keeping his eyes on the pavement below him. "I don't know what I would have said anyway. Truth be told, I was kind of banking on Joe and Sacchun to be here for this;_ they're_ the talkers."

"I dunno," Gwen put a long finger to her cheek, "You held up pretty well there, towards the end. And like you said, this isn't the end. If you need help with anything, Lloyd…"

She trailed off, but Lloyd nodded anyway. "Thanks, Gwen."

"Leaving so soon?" asked a sneering voice. "But, my, what fun we were all having!"

Lucy Clifford stood before them, barring their exit. Her violently purple hair and the dark green and black of her tube top and shorts respectively gave her the air of a coiled, poisonous snake. She was not alone, however – just behind her, arm locked in a vicegrip with Lucy's fingers, was Ann. Her face was still flushed and her eyes darted everywhere, and rather than vocalize her fear, she only sent panicked looks in the direction of Lloyd and Gwen.

"Your party's a freakshow." Gwen said without hesitation, "Thanks for an evening well-wasted!"

"Can you not muster up _some _gratefulness for your hostess? Surely you were taught _that _as a child, mm?"

"Let go of Ann," Lloyd ventured, taking a step forward. The blood pumping through his heart at the speed of a leopard felt hot. "We're taking her with us."

"Oh, Ann?" Lucy jerked her forward without relenting her grip on her wrist, "Ann doesn't want to _go, _do you Ann? She's having the time of her life!"

Ann got, at most, half a word out before Lucy swept in and devoured any sound coming out of her mouth with a kiss. Breaking apart with a loud smacking sound, she grinned devilishly at the other two. "See? And there's _so _much more _fun _waiting for her downstairs."

Lloyd and Gwen only gaped – the conversation had taken a turn neither had expected.

"Oh? Did you guys not know?" Lucy faked a look of sympathy, noticing their sudden stupefaction. "_That's _the kind of fun little ol' Ann likes to have. You know, the girl-on-girl kind. Or did you _really _not know? Goodness, _sorry _for blowing your cover like that, Ann!"

Ann's face flooded with colour and she bucked against Lucy's hold, trying to attack her with her free hand. Sputtered sounds fell from her mouth before they could fully form into words.

"Let go of her!" Lloyd repeated.

Lucy's laugh was not far off from becoming a cackle. "Come on, come on, let's go back down and find you some more _friends_! Ooh, maybe Katie's still here – _she _was fun, wasn't she? You seemed to _really _like her!"

The redhead's frustration spilled out of her eyes in the form of tears. Words like 'hate' and 'bitch' and 'kill you' tumbled similarly from her mouth.

"Come _on, _Annie! It's not like other people couldn't _tell! _There were like, signs, y'know? I'm doing you a favour! I'm a _friend, _and that's what friends do!"

Gwen had had enough – the night had provided her with enough pent-up rage that she would not, at this moment, be above punching the lights out of their hostess. Punching was something Gwen had proven to be _quite _good at it, recently.

The rush of adrenaline surged through her and was suddenly stymied as a new voice emerged on the scene.

Rough as sandpaper and grating on the ears, Meg's voice called out, "Lloyd! W-Wait!"

Everyone spun around on the spot to see Meg stumbling down the front steps and towards them, blonde hair tumbling down behind her. She lost her footing on the last step and emitted a tiny gasp before orienting herself and continuing down the path. Straight and narrow though it was, Meg's clumsy feet traveled it as if it was a path winding through a jungle.

Before Lloyd or Gwen could react, Lucy slithered her way into the scenario without missing a beat. "Meg! Perfect timing!"

"Wh…What?" Lucy's presence hadn't registered in Meg's mind until she heard her speak. "Oh, Luce. What's… going on?" Working through the sluggishness of her mind was, unfortunately, not much easier even out in the cool night air.

Lucy pushed Ann forward, towards her blonde friend. "Look! You remember Ann, right? She was the one ho'ing it up downstairs, making out with all those girls and stuff."

"That's _not _true!" Ann cried, trying to drown out Lucy's words only for her voice to choke in a violent sob.

"What?" Meg was only confused, her head pounded as it tried to absorb new pieces of information. She didn't have time for Lucy; she had come to talk to Lloyd. "Look, that's not important right now!" She yelled unnecessarily; yhe volume of her voice was apparently out of her control.

"Aw, is someone having a bad trip?" Lucy let go of Ann only to coil herself around Meg next, weaving her way between them so that she rested behind the girl, one arm resting around her waist and another on her forehead. Ann immediately grappled for Gwen's arm and tried to hide herself behind the towering blonde.

"You know what would make you feel better? A little kissie to stop your booboos from hurting!"

"Stop it!" Gwen snarled dangerously, "Just shut up!" Lucy's venomous personality was sickening to be in the presence of. She held Ann closer.

"And who would be the perfect candidate but our resident lesbo?" Lucy drawled, and began maneuvering Meg like a doll. She steered her in Ann's direction.

"What…?" Meg tried to make sense of what was going on, and her addled state made that no easy task. "She's a… what? And you want me to… Lucy, _what?_" The confusion quickly boiled into frustration, then anger. "Look, I don't have time for this! I came out here to talk to Lloyd!"

Lloyd's heart skipped a beat, but he dared not feel optimistic after how well their last conversation had gone. Of course, it was hard not to.

Lucy's voice dropped all pretenses of sweetness and friendship. She leaned her head closer to Meg's ear and said through gritted teeth, "Whatever, Meg, that can wait! Let's just have a little fun, especially when such a good _opportunity –_" she looked pointedly at Ann "- has presented itself!"

"Or," Gwen growled, her own teeth clamped together in unmitigated rage, "You can go back to your disgusting party and _stop _trying to ruin peoples' lives just because it's _fun._"

Anyone else might have looked offended at the accusation, but Lucy only rolled her eyes. "_I'm _not ruining anyone's life. _She's _doing a bang-up job of ruining it all on her own, being what she is."

Ann looked down silently; her eyes looked like they had been turned to glass.

Meg's frustration peaked and she shook off the violet-haired temptress. She didn't have time for whatever was going on, wasn't in the mood to play Lucy's games, and _really wanted to talk to Lloyd._

_ "_Leave her the hell alone, Luce! Goddess, you can be so… so imbecilic!"

Amazingly, for the first time that night, Lloyd saw something of the old Meg shine through – not only was 'imbecilic' one of her favourite words to use, especially when reprimanding Joe – but there was a streak of fury in her voice that sounded like the girl who once believed in justice, who had no patience for the unrighteous.

Free of Lucy's constriction, she wobbled over to Lloyd and placed her hands on his shoulders, steadying herself. "I'm ready to talk, Lloyd." Meg breathed.

"Great," was all Lloyd could say. "Shall we talk… elsewhere?" he suggested, eyes traveling to the fuming Lucy Clifford behind her.

"Let's walk. I need it, anyway." Meg decided.

"We can do that." A weight had been lifted from Lloyd's chest, and he felt a sudden boundless energy within him, "Come on. I know just where we can go to talk."

# # #

The familiar courtyard, distorted though it was through Meg's glassy eyes, instilled her with a peace of mind – this did not, however, slow the beating of her heart as she walked forward, approaching the group of people she once called friends.

The silence out in front of the student dormitories was stifling; even the wind itself had been muted.

Kurt and Joe stood side by side, eyes wide, and in Joe's case, mouth hanging open, discretion forgotten. Karen, Sacchun, and Popuri stood nearby with similar expressions of shock, and Kai stood with arms akimbo and an eyebrow cocked, not sure what to make of the moment.

The walk had not sobered Meg as much as she had hoped; the ability to translate thoughts into words was still as daunting as ever – if not more. "H-Hello!" Her voice came out in an odd-sounding squeak. She had been _trying _for 'enthusiasm'. What she got was 'deranged'.

Karen gave a cheery wave, and a "Hello, stranger!", in a lost attempt to lighten the mood.

Meg's breath caught in her throat. This wasn't going to be as easy as she thought.

Joe and Lloyd made eye contact; Lloyd looked triumphant at first, that he had managed the seemingly impossible – but now that they were in the thick of the situation, his face had frozen along with the rest of him. Just as before, he had no idea what to do now that they were all here. No one did. The collective of teenagers stood in the courtyard, frozen in place, like chess places locked in a stalemate.

The wind blew again, sending ripples through the fabric of Meg's clothing and playing with her hair, picking up strands and dropping them on a whim.

The reverie was then broken: "I'm so sorry," Kurt croaked, his knees feeling unbearably weak in front of her. He could squint his eyes and almost see her in the lavender dress from that night that felt like it belonged to another lifetime. Then, when he opened them again, everything came into focus: the red of her eyes, the unfocused pupils, the beginnings of lines forming around her face, the boniness of her bare ankles and arms.

"No… _I'm _sorry." Joe moved forward. "I… I didn't…"

"Can it, brother. I'm the one who… I couldn't be more sorry if I _tried…_"

"I'm sorr_ier," _Lloyd said from behind her, "This shouldn't have taken this long. We lost so much time…"

"Shut up!" Sacchun cried, then sniffed loudly, and everyone saw that she had a steady flow of tears streaming down her face silently, "I'm sorri_est! _I was an idiot! Such an idiot!"

"Not as much of an idiot as me!" Kurt exclaimed, and his eyes too were now sparkling.

"Shut _up! _Everyone _knows _no one's a bigger idiot than me!" Joe declared.

"Sorry, Joe," Lloyd was holding back tears, "Hate to steal your thunder, buddy, but that'd be me this time."

"No, _me!" _Sacchun was yelling now, "A huge, huge, huge, huge, huge, jumbo, gigantic, humongous idiot!"

Meg felt assaulted as the voices flew over her like bullets fired overhead. She put all her mental power into trying to understand and process what everyone was saying, and could feel something akin to a migraine coming on. So, to alleviate the strain on her mind, she issued a command in the most assertive voice she could muster: "Everyone…" She inhaled, "S_hut up!_"

The silence returned in instant, Meg's words freezing them in place once again.

"You're _all _idiots." She said, and cringed when her words came out icy and belligerent. Talking to _them, _she suddenly remembered, was _very _different from talking to Lucy.

Sacchun flinched, tears still pouring out by the liter.

Meg took the time to gather all her thoughts before speaking again, and they gave her that time; no one was about to speak again until she had said her part.

"You really _are _all idiots," she repeated, and was relieved to find that she could still soften the edge in her voice, that it wouldn't forever be used as a weapon. "_Especially _for thinking that _you… _did this… to me."

All movement, all sniffling, all breathing came to an end right there.

"This…" she said, imagining herself as she appeared to them, "Isn't your fault." It was the first time she had truly acknowledged what she had become; acknowledged that what she had done had been a mistake. "And it's imbecilic to even think that. I know what you're thinking – that I've thrown my life away and ruined myself, all over a boy," Her eyes instinctively moved to Kurt, and his to his own feet. Meg's eyes snapped back and she promptly shut them. If she closed her eyes, they wouldn't be there, she could pretend she was dreaming and talking to figments of her mind; the alcohol and the weed helped make this an easy task. She kept her eyes shut and continued speaking:

"And I guess you'd be half-right. _What _am I doing? _Why _am I doing this? Almost every girl in existence goes through a heartbreak – many go through things many times more severe, not watching their highschool crush kiss some other girl."

Kurt was trying to apologize again, but she squeezed her eyes shut even tighter, as if this would keep her from hearing.

"So why did she do it?" she asked aloud, giving voice to the question on everyone's mind, "Isn't it a little egomaniacal to assume any one of you were the singular reason for what I did? Then again," she chuckled in a horrible, raspy way, "We _are _high school students. We're not used to the world _not _revolving around us."

"It's true," Meg continued, "That what happened that night tipped me over the edge. But that's _all _it did, I promise you. What _brought _me to that edge is much more significant. I can't even put it into words… Goddess, I really can't. Pressure? Expectations? Self-Esteem? Love?" She interrupted herself with a cough, "Being a girl? Being a teenager? Being a _person_?"

"Who the hell knows, right? I didn't have – I mean… There's… There's more to me than maybe I let on. Isn't that the same for everybody, though? Everyone has something to them, some secrets, some experiences… No one's on this ride without some carry-on baggage, am I right?"

Meg took a long break then, remaining rooted to her spot and breathing raspily for the next few minutes. No one said a word, even if their minds were racing:

Sacchun thought of her mother, of her life being treated like an open book, of her decision to hide her own daughter away in a different city. Joe cringed at the resurfacing memories of his days with Katie, of his inexperience, of his unquenchable _need _for companionship and yet his complete inability to handle it. Karen's mind was at home, with her parents, with her stony-faced mother and meek, underappreciated father, and the impending alcoholism that seemed to consume her. Popuri thought of her mother's loneliness, and then the joy that followed when Michael entered the picture, and the irrational jealousy she had felt when her mother's affections had been split further, and then the subsequent guilt that followed _that. _Ann, desperate though she was to wipe her mind blank, couldn't quell the thoughts of a certain girl, a librarian, and her desire to stamp out any and all feelings that bubbled up in the pit of her stomach when she saw that cerulean hair. Gwen crossed her arms, and her brow furrowed at the thought of her own flaws, her superficial confidence, her secret fear that she may not be as grand as she thinks she is, that the "real" world was waiting, teeth apart, salivating at the chance to eat her alive. And Lloyd's thoughts were on his friends, and just how much they went through, just how much they struggled every day, just how much of a battlefield high school was, and just how significant a role they played in each other's lives: friendship permeated everything – nothing was left untouched by its all-consuming flames, whether for better or for worse.

"See? It's not just me," said Meg to the darkness before her, as if she had just read everyone's mind. " I'm just phenomenally bad at carrying it all. I'd rather drop it all and run like hell, even – even if I end up running straight down the slope into the… the Bog of Bitterness," she echoed Katie's words, and though no one was aware of her unique terminology, they got the gist of it.

"So," she inhaled more of the night air and transformed it into words: "_I'm _sorry. And _I'm _an idiot."

Meg's eyes opened, and in a flash the real world returned to her. She was caught off-guard, having done such a good job at convincing herself she was in a dream.

Everyone let the words of their friend sink in, but no one was willing to accept the apology. And Meg hadn't expected anything else.

"So… Now what?" came the warbly voice of her petite best friend, "Are you… coming back…?"

"I don't _know, _Sa—" the name still got stuck in her throat, and she had no choice but to either choke or swallow it again, "I don't know. I don't even know where I _am, _or where I _was, _or _what _exactly there is for me to come back to. I need time to… think. Goddess, I haven't _thought _in so long."

"Then… do that." Lloyd said, "Take all the time you want, M-Meg. Just… know that our thoughts are with you. Like… always. They always _were, _and they always _will be."_

It happened for the first time that night, and was such a momentous occasion that Sacchun's knees finally gave out and sent her tumbling to the ground, laughing and crying and breathing laboriously: Meg smiled.

"I suppose that's something to think about."

# # #

She parted her lips to release the cigarette into her fingers and blew out wisps of smoke. The nicotine spread through her body, like a cooling spring rain after a forest fire.

Meg crossed her legs and adjusted herself on the metal bench she was seated on, Lloyd at her side, Karen on her other side, and Gwen – naturally – taking up the spot furthest away from her adversary, next to Lloyd. Ann sat on the arm of the bench nearest to Gwen, staring spicily out into the sky that was freckled with stars.

Lloyd opened his mouth just as Meg went for another puff, but she cut him off: "If you don't bug me about this," she wiggled the cigarette between her fingers, "I won't ask why you're dressed like a preteen girl.", she stared pointedly at his Lanna Royce attire. He promptly closed his mouth and conceded the deal.

"What a night," Gwen remarked, stretching her limbs in front of her.

"Yep," Karen agreed uncharacteristically, "… I was waiting 'til this'd be appropriate to say this, but Holy Goddess, I can't believe we skipped out on the end of the Lanna concert."

"This was _your _idea!" Lloyd spluttered.

"Uh, yeah! And I was drunk! Who listens to a _drunkie?!_" she gave Lloyd a playful punch to the head, "_Duh! _Good going, man! I guess I'll have to get the recap from Eve later on…"

The name of her best friend incited Gwen to join the conversation. Eyebrow raised in thinly-veiled irritation, she asked, "Oh, getting buddy-buddy with _my _friends now, huh?"

Karen's mouth was agape for a few seconds. "…Hrm. Right. I've been fraternizing with the enemy all night, haven't I? Whatever, I'll say _this: _for a psycho blonde giant, you have _adequate _taste in friends."

Gwen rolled her eyes and fell back into the bench, _harrumph -_ing. "To think, the barriers that are broken down thanks to _bubblegum pop music…_"

"You'd be amazed at what it can do." Meg mused, taking another drag from her cigarette, then peering through the smoke at the pigtailed brunette standing further down the parking lot, felt a Lanna Royce song emerging into her head. _Our favourite… _

The four of them sat at one of the many benches surrounding the courtyard's sparsely used parking lot, in the center of which stood Sacchun, Joe, Kurt, and the newly-arrived Dia and May. Dia was so busy fretting over the state Kurt was in as a result of his scuffle with Joe that she didn't even notice her ex-rival seated just over yonder. As Meg watched Kurt's girlfriend fret over him, she was briefly awed by just how much the goth had _changed. _She then eyed May, and for a brief moment of distress assumed that she was the result of some hormonal romp in the student dormitories – but then reminded herself that the girl was clearly about eight or nine, and Kurt had only just met Dia this year.

Even if it _felt _like a lifetime ago.

Dia had then, apparently, made the decision to go have him washed up and tended to, for she shooed May away to Sacchun's side and dragged Kurt by the collar of his shirt up towards his building. Joe followed sheepishly, giving Sacchun a brief goodbye and one last concerned look over his shoulder.

Sacchun returned to the party at the bench, May in tow, and announced that she'd walk her back to Barley's. "Dia was going to do it, but she's in crazy-neurotic-girlfriend-nurse mode right now. And I'm not coming between her and a tube of polysporin."

"That Dia girl was _fun," _May declared, "_Way _better than bein' stuck with two smelly boys. I'ma tell gramps to hire _her _next time."

Lloyd was too tired to argue with the pint-sized brunette. "See you later, May." He said tiredly.

Sacchun let May skip ahead to the gates of the courtyard, but lolled behind, breathing in the smoke of Meg's cigarette.

"…Is everything alright?" Meg ventured.

Sacchun couldn't look at her when she spoke next. "… I'm _still _sorry. And I'm _still _an idiot. And I'll do anything and everything to make up for it. Just… don't shut me out… Meg. Please." She sounded like she had more to say, but the oncoming wave of tears cut whatever it was short. "Please."

"…Sacchun," the name finally came out, clear and crisp and musical. "What do the last two letters of 'BFFL' stand for, again?"

And the girls locked gazes properly for the first time that night, and neither of them had to answer, nor could they, for both sets of eyes were blinded by tears and both throats constricted with months worth of emotion.

Ann hopped off her end of the bench, thanked Lloyd and Gwen and Meg for what they did in a meek, spiritless tone, and claimed that she would walk home with Sacchun, as both May and herself lived on Azure Street.

"Ann…" Gwen started, crossing her arms and giving the girl a very serious look that was beyond her years, "Call me tomorrow, 'kay? I don't care what time it is. Call me."

Ann looked alarmed, the nodded, giving Gwen her word. The three of them departed.

Entering the courtyard, however, were Kai and Popuri, who had left momentarily to make a call.

"The bike rental guy says that he can send someone to pick up the bikes," Kai explained, snapping his phone shut and pocketing it, "For a lil' extra fee of course. I don't mind covering it, but I 'spect y'all to pay up at some point." He rubbed his fingers together for emphasis.

"_And _he told us that we didn't actually miss much of the end of the Lanna concert!" Popuri said, happier than she should have been, "Apparently half-way into the first song of the encore, Lanna slogged a guy in the audience with her microphone – by mistake, I'm sure – and there were 'technical difficulties.'"

Karen whooped with glee, but a second later expressed her regret in missing _that. _"_I _could have been the one hit in the face with Lanna Royce's microphone! That could have been _me, _Popo! _Meeeee!_"

"C'mon, princess, let's go," Kai said with a bemused grin, pulling Karen up off the bench, "We'll take off from here. See you guys!"

"Wait! I didn't get to thank Lloyd for the kick-ass date!"

"It wasn't a _date, _you were just in the right place at the right time with the right tickets –" Gwen snarled through gritted teeth.

"The _date _was absolutely _awesomsauce,_"

"It wasn't a –"

"And y'know, Lloydo, it's customary to end a dream date with a kiss!"

"_Not a date!_ _Dream or otherwise!_"

"So c'meeere, I'm waiting!"

"_You two were not on a date! Not! On! A! Date!"_

Kai dragged away a cackling Karen before she could torment Gwen further.

When it was just the three of them left on the silvery bench, silence fell, and the events of the night washed over each of them.

"I… kind of missed all this," Meg said softly, a small smile playing on her lips, and then the silence stretched on for what felt like hours.

Next, it was Lloyd's turn to break it. "You know…Meg…"

She lit another cigarette.

"In all this time… There was a part of me that _was _envious of you."

Removing the white stick from her mouth, Meg scoffed. "Oh boy. Elaborate? Please?"

Lloyd stretched and placed his arms behind his head. Meg surveyed him skeptically, but he chose to talk to the stars.

"I know no one likes being typecast – whether as the overachieving bookworm, the hopeless goof-off, the hyperactive ditz, or whatever – but it's even harder to break _out _of those once you're holed into them, you know? High school does such a crazy good job of pushing each of us down these predetermined paths and… I know – and I've always felt this was especially true for me – we all really just go with the flow sometimes, because it's the easiest thing to do."

She held her cigarette limply in her hand, not wanting to distract herself from what he was saying.

"I know people are going to admonish you, and be angry with you, or be ashamed of you for running away from it all - and for the sake of honesty, I'll admit that I've gone through all those emotions in the past few months – but, Hell, at least you _did _something. At least you went _against _the flow. It's something I could never do, no matter how much I fantasize about it. No matter how you look at it, you… broke free, you took charge, and you didn't look back. Whatever the consequences were… I think, in the long-run, you just did what everyone else wishes they could do."

In an action that surprised even herself, Meg threw herself around Lloyd's neck and pulled him into a hug that lasted only a few seconds before she withdrew herself. The sensation washed over Lloyd in an instant but stayed with Meg for far longer – it had been a _long _time since she had last done something like that, and meant it. There were no tears – no visible emotion at all, really – in Meg's eyes, but Lloyd's words had resonated in her. Whether they were simply validating the excuses she had been telling herself for months, or because she had underestimated just how much her friends understood her, she couldn't say. "Thank you… Thank you, Lloyd."

Lloyd smiled at her, then turned his gaze back to the stars, that were twinkling with all their might.

Gwen yawned and Meg latched on to the opportunity. "You guys should head to bed. I don't even _know _what time it must be by now."

The boy looked alarmed. "What about you? Do you want us to walk you back to – to the party?"

"I'm fine," she said, refusing the offer, "I just want to sit back here for a bit. Do some of that fabled 'thinking' people are always talking about." Meg offered one last secretive smile, and Lloyd relished it, deeply hoping that it would not be a long time before he saw her next one.

"Well, Lloyd, y'wanna take that offer instead?"

"What, to walk me home? To my building that's, uh, _right there?_"

Gwen grinned, "Yep! It's a scary walk, man! Especially for you – you apparently have rabid drunk girls lobbing themselves at you left, right, and center!"

He rolled his eyes in response. "To say nothing of the rabid _sober _girls who attack me for no good reason." He opened his black eye as wide as he could in an accusing stare. But Gwen laughed cheekily and instead headed for the courtyard gate.

"We'll talk tomorrow, alright? You know I'm always available if y'need me!", and with a wink, Gwen turned to Meg, "That applies to you too, of course. And hey, even if it's just to trash-talk Kurt, I've got plenty of juicy stories that might make you feel better!" The tomboy laughed, gave them a quick salute, and she too took her leave.

"Don't, er, don't actually give Kurt a hard time about this stuff, 'kay?" she said tentatively after Gwen was safely out of sight, "I don't think what he did was _right, _and it never _will _be – but I don't want him beating himself up over me. I don't want anyone _else _beating him up over me either," she added, and Lloyd chuckled uncomfortably.

"He _does _feel really badly about it, Meg. It might help if you were the one who told him that."

"I suppose it _is _time we had another one of our chats…" dispelling a husky breath and flicking the butt of her cigarette onto the pavement. She pulled her cardigan around her, though for the first time that night, didn't feel the cold.

Lloyd contemplated giving Meg another, hug, but it seemed almost unnecessarily extravagant for the two of them.

"Are you sure you're gonna be alright? Getting back by yourself, I mean?"

"Hush, Lloyd," she put a finger to her lips, "I'm a big girl, aren't I?"

Hands in his pockets and a sheepish grin forming on his face, Lloyd bid his friend good night. "Keep in touch, you."

"You got it."

She watched him make steady paces towards the boys' building and, predictably, he turned around and gave her one last wave before disappearing within it.

Meg was truly alone now, and the silence was the most absolute it had been all night. The frail girl spread her arms out on either side of her, and tilted her head back. Somehow, with the return of the quiet, her head began pounding again. She closed her eyes and, her inebriation still with her, felt the bench slip out from beneath her, out of reality, sending her plummeting. She allowed herself to fall freely for a long time, dropping through the darkness silently. It was a most peaceful departure from reality, and she had no intention of landing anytime soon. It was too tiring to move, anyway. The thought of going back to Lucy's tonight… of sleeping on one of her dozen couches in the basement, probably alongside countless other bodies, too impaired to even know where they were…

Meg let her head rise slowly, as if a manipulator was tugging the strings attached to her temple. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and in a sensational rush of colour and sight, the scene of the courtyard returned to her. She had landed safely.

"Heya."

The blonde wasn't sure how long she had been asleep for, but it had been just long enough for Sacchun to return. She approached her cautiously, tentatively.

"Did everyone go up to sleep?"

Meg nodded, her tongue drying up uselessly in a matter of seconds.

"And are you going back to.. that, um, that girl's place?"

She shrugged, and sat up.

"…Were you just planning to sleep on the bench or somethin'?" the faintest sound of amusement creeped into Sacchun's voice. It was all Meg needed to find her voice again.

"You know, I was going to walk back to… to my friend's place…" Somehow, it was now Lucy's name that she could not bring herself to utter, "But that honestly doesn't sound like such a bad idea. It's more comfortable than it looks."

A tiny smile flickered across Sacchun's features. She kicked around a loose piece of gravel, and the added percussion somehow made it easier for both of them to speak. "You _do _have a room right up there, you know. It's… it's still yours. Just the way you left it."

_I can't. _Meg thought immediately, a lump forming in her throat as if Sacchun had kicked the gravel right down her esophagus. "I…"

"I kinda… I mean… I don't really wanna sleep… alone. Not tonight."

"Sacchun…" She spoke her name and it hung between them, drawing both their gazes upwards and right into each others'. Meg spoke clearly and sincerely, pushing the words out regardless of how much they resisted:

"Sacchun, I … I can't come back just yet. There's still so much more I need to _do _for myself. And… and that girl I'm staying with – " she swallowed hard and forced it out, "- Lucy. Regardless of… who she is… She's done so much for me, I owe her so much, I can't just… You understand… It's not as easy as it…"

"Just tonight?" Sacchun whispered, letting her eyes feed on Meg's while she still had the chance, before her best friend slipped away from her again.

"…Sacchun…"

"Then wait. Just wait here." She took off at a run, running backwards half the time, keeping her eyes on Meg, as if she was likely to disappear like the moon behind a passing cloud. "Wait _one _second!" She called once she was at the glass doors to their dormitory. Finally committing herself, she tore her gaze away from Meg and sprinted in, up the stairs, and momentarily out of sight.

Then, Sacchun appeared again, trailing something behind her, looking like a phantom of purest white stalking through the night towards the bench. She was clutching something bundled in a ball in her arms, and had something else wrapped around her shoulders like a long, flowing cape.

"You didn't…"

"I did."

She reached the bench, dropped her tired body down next to Meg's, and shook out the blanket in front of her. It was from Meg's bedspread – dusty, untouched, and cold. The blanket around her shoulders was Sacchun's very own.

Meg was laughing now. It was a laugh rusted over by roughness and raspiness, but it was still her laughter, and it rang out, bridging the gap between the two girls and bridging the past with the present. "Alright. Just for tonight then."

Sacchun was laughing too, now, a laughter punctuated with small hiccups, and eventually, crystalline tears that caught on her shaking lips, moistening them with the taste of salt.

The wind whistled through the trees in the courtyard, shaking the newly budded leaves off the branches. It blew audibly, hushing the girls with its whispering tones. Sacchun hiked up the blanket around them, and undid her pigtails – a ritual, thus far, that only Meg had ever been present for. Heeding the silencing wind, they fell quiet, and cast tired eyes up into the sea of stars above them. They took in what they could, for between the two of them, they knew they couldn't keep them open for much longer.

"Goddess," Meg whispered, then paused, filling the reprieve with heavy, ponderous breaths. "What are we doing?"

"We're doing…" Sacchun mumbled, already succumbing to the warmth of the body next to her and the sea of material around her, "…We're doing what we can. Whatever we can."

And the girls inched closer to one another, hands linking unconsciously under the blanket, and closed their eyes to the moonlight.

**- END OF SEASON 2 –**

* * *

/**Post-Script: **And that's that :). The final season of Harvest High! awaits. Thank you for reading.

Unlike Season 2's premier, I won't be doing a Q&A or anything like that this time – but if you do have any questions, either leave them in a review or send them to HH!'s official Tumblr (the URL is on my profile) – you do not need a Tumblr account to do this. Any updates between now and Season 3's premier will be posted there as well, so follow or bookmark it for the latest on HH!.

Whatever you got out of this chapter, I'd love to hear it, so leave a review! Reactions, cheers, complaints, whatever you have to say – positive or negative - I'm excited to hear it.

Thank you all, very, very much. I'll see you again at the start of Harvest High!'s final season. **End Post-Script/**


End file.
